Vaccination - Irish style

[Ronan Kelly]

Swine flu vaccinations

Two weeks ago, having rung my GP to inquire about getting the swine flu vaccine for my 18-month-old son with cystic fibrosis (CF), I was faced with the news we would have to attend one of the HSE clinics.

This left me with shivers down my spine, as first, we would have to enter a hospital/clinic to receive the vaccine and second, we would be faced with unknown factors such as crowds, waiting rooms, etc.

On Monday when I went online to see where we had to go I was very impressed with the fact I could book the clinic online, but worried what lay ahead as we had to attend Naas General Hospital, which I knew nothing about.

On Thursday morning we arrived at our allowed time, and while my mother waited with my son in the car park, I took a deep breath and entered the hospital expecting to be faced with a queue.

Instead I was greeted by a team of highly organised nurses who on hearing my son had CF, told me I would be seen immediately and they had only that morning done a test run in expectation of dealing with cases like ours.

When I say this brought a tear to my eye I am not joking. I have for months now been avoiding crowds, shops and pharmacies etc for fear my son would catch swine flu and here I was almost at the finish line and instead of having yet another battle on my hands ? as I had expected ? I had people there to hold our hands and tell us everything would be okay.

My son was quickly and efficiently brought down secluded corridors to an isolation area and within five minutes the vaccine had been administered. We waited for 15 minutes to see that he was all right, and every three minutes a friendly faced popped in to see if we were okay. To say we were okay was an understatement: the relief I cannot explain.
I want to thank the HSE and the community nurses that were there for providing the most wonderful service. As a mother who constantly watches the likes of Orla Tinsley campaign for these basic human rights for our children, it was so lovely for once to see things run as they should be, and for that I am truly grateful. ? Yours, etc,

RUTH CAHILL,

Newtown Court,

Maynooth,

Kildare.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/1109/1224258391091.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Vaccination - Irish style

28,000 people receive H1N1 vaccine
CHARLIE TAYLORClose to 8,000 people received the swine flu vaccine today at clinics around the country, according to new figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

A total of 7,790 individuals were vaccinated against the H1N1 virus during the day, bringing the total number of people in at-risk groups to have received the vaccination to 28,251 since the vaccination campaign began last Monday.

In Dublin, 2,171 individuals received the vaccine in the HSE's seven Dublin clinics. A further 1,780 people were vaccinated at eight HSE clinics in Mid-Leinster.

In the South, 1,909 people were vaccinated as were 1,920 in the West.

The vaccine is considered the best defence we have against the H1N1 virus. At present, only people in at-risk groups can receive the vaccine.

Earlier this week, Department of Health officials confirmed that four more people had died of human swine flu in the Republic, bringing the numbers to die of the virus to 14.

Some 30,000 people contracted the virus in the Republic last week alone and the Department of Health estimates that it could take six to eight months to vaccinate the entire population, as supplies of vaccines are limited.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1106/breaking71.html

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Vaccination - Irish style

HSE to offer under-fives swine flu vaccine
EITHNE DONNELLAN, Health Correspondent and MICHELLE McDONAGH
CHILDREN UNDER five years and those aged 65 and over are to be offered the swine flu vaccine later this month and early next month, the HSE confirmed yesterday. They will be offered the vaccine at special HSE clinics across the State, not at GP surgeries.

The HSE, which, along with many GPs, is now vaccinating at-risk groups aged six months to 65 years as well as pregnant women, will begin writing to parents of children aged from six months to under five years this week to inform them of the development.
The letters will tell parents when to bring their child to a HSE clinic for their vaccine. Some will be given actual appointments, others will be told to book an appointment online or by telephone at their nearest HSE swine vaccination clinic.
?Parents of children in this group will begin to receive letters starting this week and throughout November and early December,? the HSE said.

?People aged 65 and over will begin to be invited over the coming fortnight.?

Those aged over 65 were not included in the initial phase of swine flu vaccinations as they are believed to have some immunity to the H1N1 virus. Most of those hospitalised with the virus to date have been younger people.

Dr Brenda Corcoran of the HSE national immunisation office said after the under-fives and over-65s are vaccinated, the HSE will then move on to vaccinate older children in schools.

In relation to the under-fives and over-65s, she said: ?We would ask people in these groups to be patient and to wait for their invitation to arrive. Everyone in these groups will be offered the vaccine throughout November and December.?

Letters will first go out to people in areas where there is capacity in existing HSE swine flu vaccination clinics.

Dr Kevin Kelleher, head of health protection with the HSE, said there were now about 600,000 doses of the swine flu vaccine in the State and more were arriving all the time. The first supplies were prioritised for the 400,000 or so at-risk patients aged six months to 65 years in the State. The next priority group is the 300,000 or so under-fives and then the 500,000 over-65s in the State.
He said the HSE would move into schools towards the end of November to vaccinate the 800,000-900,000 older children there.

Dr Kelleher said vaccines had also been distributed to hospitals, so at-risk patients could be vaccinated opportunistically. Healthcare workers in hospitals would also start getting the vaccine this week, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mary Horgan, consultant in infectious disease at Cork University Hospital, has warned that swine flu could mix with seasonal flu and create a new virus.

?If a person gets swine flu and seasonal flu together, the two viruses can reassort or get mixed up and we will get another novel virus which will require another vaccine. It?s too early to tell yet if this will happen because we?re not seeing much seasonal flu yet,? she said.

Dr Horgan stressed the need for people who usually get the annual seasonal flu vaccination to make sure they get their jab this year to avoid this situation arising.

Some 3 per cent of the population ? about 138,000 people ? had contracted swine flu by last week and 14 people had died from the virus. An update on current infection rates will be provided by the Department of Health on Thursday.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/1110/1224258472512.html