tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
The mass swine flu vaccination programme has affected childhood immunisation rates in some parts of the country to such an extent as to pose a serious health risk, the IMO has warned, with further disruption expected and emerging question marks over the planned autumn roll-out of the HPV vaccine.
Speaking to IMN, IMO PHD leader Dr Paula Gilvarry said childhood vaccinations and planned campaigns are being seriously affected by the redeployment of immunisation staff to the swine flu vaccine clinics.
?We would have a backlog between the MMR catch-up last year and the H1N1 vaccine of five months. We did risk assessments and we would be in the extreme range of risk at the moment.
?We strive for an uptake of 95 per cent in all primary immunisations?. Our MMR uptake in the north-west was 95 per cent six months ago, it?s now at 88 per cent and that is directly related to the doctors, nurses and admin staff being pulled to do the swine flu vaccination.?
The IMO has written to the HSE seeking an urgent meeting with HSE Assistant National Director, Health Promotion, Dr Kevin Kelleher to discuss the situation.
Dr Gilvarry also pointed out that there will be further pressure on vaccination staff this year with another MMR catch-up for national school children planned as well as the rollout of the HPV vaccine, with significant amounts of holiday leave built up due to the swine flu workload that will need to be taken.
The IMO PHD Committee has decided not to engage with any planning for an MMR catch-up and the roll-out of the HPV vaccine until a meeting is held with Dr Kelleher, Dr Gilvarry said, ?Because we really need to assess the risk of taking on extra work within present resources.?
The HSE last week said there was no evidence of a delay to the primary childhood vaccinations given by GPs to infants, but it did acknowledge that due to HSE staff being deployed to the swine flu mass vaccination clinics they have not yet visited some schools to provide their routine school vaccinations.
It stated that when the mass vaccination clinics finish at the end of March, HSE immunisation teams will return to providing the routine school vaccinations ?which will be completed as usual by the end of the school year?.
The HSE told IMN last week that approximately one million H1N1 vaccines have been administered. GPs have administered at least 300,000 vaccinations, the HSE clinics have given 450,000 vaccinations, while 75,000 have been vaccinated in schools and 48,500 healthcare workers have been vaccinated.
http://www.imn.ie/index.php/current-issue/news/3176-immunisation-rates-affected-by-swine-flu
Speaking to IMN, IMO PHD leader Dr Paula Gilvarry said childhood vaccinations and planned campaigns are being seriously affected by the redeployment of immunisation staff to the swine flu vaccine clinics.
?We would have a backlog between the MMR catch-up last year and the H1N1 vaccine of five months. We did risk assessments and we would be in the extreme range of risk at the moment.
?We strive for an uptake of 95 per cent in all primary immunisations?. Our MMR uptake in the north-west was 95 per cent six months ago, it?s now at 88 per cent and that is directly related to the doctors, nurses and admin staff being pulled to do the swine flu vaccination.?
The IMO has written to the HSE seeking an urgent meeting with HSE Assistant National Director, Health Promotion, Dr Kevin Kelleher to discuss the situation.
Dr Gilvarry also pointed out that there will be further pressure on vaccination staff this year with another MMR catch-up for national school children planned as well as the rollout of the HPV vaccine, with significant amounts of holiday leave built up due to the swine flu workload that will need to be taken.
The IMO PHD Committee has decided not to engage with any planning for an MMR catch-up and the roll-out of the HPV vaccine until a meeting is held with Dr Kelleher, Dr Gilvarry said, ?Because we really need to assess the risk of taking on extra work within present resources.?
The HSE last week said there was no evidence of a delay to the primary childhood vaccinations given by GPs to infants, but it did acknowledge that due to HSE staff being deployed to the swine flu mass vaccination clinics they have not yet visited some schools to provide their routine school vaccinations.
It stated that when the mass vaccination clinics finish at the end of March, HSE immunisation teams will return to providing the routine school vaccinations ?which will be completed as usual by the end of the school year?.
The HSE told IMN last week that approximately one million H1N1 vaccines have been administered. GPs have administered at least 300,000 vaccinations, the HSE clinics have given 450,000 vaccinations, while 75,000 have been vaccinated in schools and 48,500 healthcare workers have been vaccinated.
http://www.imn.ie/index.php/current-issue/news/3176-immunisation-rates-affected-by-swine-flu