This article is from page 15 of the 2005-09-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
HUNDREDS of inoculation doses that can prevent bacterial meningi- tis are to be sent out to Clare doc- tors next month, following the trag- ic death of a County Louth toddler.
After media reports on the death of the two-year-old, anxious par- ents began turning up in droves at GPs’ surgeries only to find the doctors did not have supplies of the booster vaccine.
The little boy died while on holi- day abroad, several days after hav- ing been seen at Our Lady Of Lour-
des hospital in Drogheda.
He developed bacterial meningi- tis, despite having been vaccinated against it as an infant.
The child had been thought to have recovered from Haemophilis influenza group B (HiB) but de- veloped meningitis. Children are vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease as babies and given booster vaccinations later on.
The Department of Health has confirmed that supplies of a boost- er vaccine will be made available to Clare GPs over the coming month.
GPs usually have a limited supply of the vaccine, but not enough to cope on an on-going basis with the OCSTeee Neem e-UI orem ON AUST E-Te-VOIA YA
But the Department came in for serious criticism after it emerged that it threw responsibility for the €10 million funding needed for a vaccination campaign back to the Health Services Executive respon- sible for the Louth area.
Dr Niall O’Cleirigh, spokesman for the Irish College of General Practitioners, said that a November date for the roll-out of the booster
vaccine is not soon enough.
“In the light of a child having died, it is not quick enough. Moves should have been made over the summer to have this programme in place,” he said.
A vaccine against the life-threat- ening strain of meningitis 1s includ- ed in the five-in-one immunisation given to all children.
But two months ago, the National Immunisation Advisory Commit- tee urgently recommended that all children under the age of four should be given a booster vaccine.
Of 50,000 children vaccinated since 1996, 38 have developed the disease, despite being vaccinated.
It is believed that there are 200,000 children in need of the booster shots nation-wide.
The Department of Health con- firmed that booster vaccines will be distributed next month and that further supplies will be available in Deore
The shot will be made available free at GPs surgeries and any par- ent who has concerns is urged to contact their family doctor imme- diately.