In Ireland immunisation is not mandatory. The HSE recommends:
- hexavalent (6 in 1) vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age
- pneumococcal conjugate vaccine at 2, 6 and 13 months of age
- meningococcal B vaccine at 2, 4 and 12 months of age
- meningococcal C vaccine at 6 and 13 months of age
- rotavirus vaccine at 2 and 4 months of age
- MMR vaccine at 12 months of age
- Hib vaccine at 13 months of age
The BCG vaccine is out of supply and there are talks that it may not be needed anymore.
For children aged 4 to 5 years, they will get two vaccines:
- The 4 in 1 booster to protect against diphtheria, polio, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis); and.
- a second dose of the MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella.
School Programme – Ireland’s Health Service
For students aged 12
All students in their First year of second level school they be offered a tetanus, low dose diphtheria and low dose pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap) booster vaccine.
All students in First year of second level schools will be offered a booster dose of the Meningococcal C (MenC) vaccine.
Girls in her first year of second level school, (about 12 years of age) will be offered the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine.
- 2 doses of the vaccine are given at 0 and 6 months
- Girls over 15 years of age need 3 doses of HPV vaccine
Unvaccinated children in Ireland are allowed in nurseries, preschools and kindergardens, and primary schools. It is not a legal requirement to have vaccinations to enter school or preschool. Some preschools are succeeding in discriminating unvaccinated children largely because it has not yet been tested legally.
Adverse event following immunisation public reporting system
There is no vaccine injury compensation fund in Ireland though there has been a government paper looking into setting up one. Adverse events can be reported HERE
Best -v- Wellcome 1993 This was a case that sought to establish, for the first time, in Europe, an association between a vaccine administered to humans and brain damage. The research in this case, including medical, scientific and factual was painstaking. The research was so detailed that for example we examined the evidence as to how the animals who had been administered a test dose of the vaccine had performed in the drug company’s laboratory. We looked at the weight gain of the animals (mice) to see whether or not they had gained weight after being administered the vaccine. We discovered that a number of them had not flourished compared to those animals that had not received the vaccine. Some mice died. We then examined the toxicity of the vaccine. We discovered that it was the most toxic batch that was ever issued by the drug company, Wellcome. In litigating on behalf of this injured Plaintiff, we were faced with the might of Wellcome. They had allied to them the insurers for the doctor who had administered the vaccine. In addition, the State and the relevant Health Board were sued. We were faced with formidable teams in opposition. The case was lost in the first instance, but won in the Supreme Court. The young boy involved in this case, Kenneth Best, had suffered horrific injuries as a consequence of being administered the vaccine and he requires 24 hour care each and every day for the rest of his life. This settlement, which was the highest ever awarded at the time, resulted in Kenneth being provided with the care which he clearly deserved. The financial burden had been lifted for the family.
