THE DEATH of two young boys from swine flu in Northern Ireland has prompted fresh concern about the vaccination programmes on both sides of the Border.
One of the boys was aged two years and the other 10 months, and their deaths bring the total number of fatalities from swine flu in Northern Ireland to 19.
The younger child is understood to have been suffering from underlying health problems. Little has been confirmed about the two-year-old as his parents have asked for privacy. However it is known he was from the Republic.
It is not uncommon for children in need of urgent care to be treated in a hospital across the Border if it is the nearest.
Stormont Health Minister Michael McGimpsey expressed his sympathy for the parents of both children and called for public calm in the wake of the rising death toll from the H1N1 virus. He acknowledged the deaths would heighten public anxiety particularly among the parents of young children.
He spoke to Minister for Health Mary Harney and health officials in the UK about extending the current vaccination programme to all children under five in addition to those already considered at risk.
“In addition, I have consulted with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about the particular circumstances here. They do not recommend extending the vaccination programme beyond the current at-risk groups,” he said.
He was supported by the North’s chief medical officer who pressed for those who have been called for vaccination to attend quickly. “The important message is that anyone in an at-risk group who has not yet been vaccinated should do so as soon as possible,” Dr Michael McBride said.
“The question has been posed if we should extend to healthy under-fives. I know the JCVI is keeping this under close and active review and we will continue to be guided by their expert advice.”
A spokeswoman for the HSE said the situation was different from the North as all children in the Republic were offered the vaccine up to last April and an estimated 60 per cent of children took up the offer.
She said the health executive was also not advocating a blanket vaccination policy for all children under the age of five. However, she reiterated the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee that all children with an underlying condition such as asthma, who availed of the vaccine last year, needed to get a second vaccine.
She said they should avail of the seasonal flu vaccine which has been modified to include a vaccine against swine flu, available in GP practices.
Meanwhile, Stormont Finance Minister Sammy Wilson renewed his criticism of Mr McGimpsey yesterday over funding for the health service.
Mr Wilson accused the Health Minister of scaremongering following publication of details of the draft budget last week which, Mr McGimpsey claimed, could lead to the loss of 4,000 health jobs.