The Health Service Executive (HSE) said today it was not anticipating any shortfall in the number of flu vaccines available to the public this winter.
The Department of Health in Britain, where the HSE sources its vaccines, warned today there may be a significant delay in providing the necessary number of doses after manufacturers experienced serious problems with production of the vaccine.
It said some GPs would have to share their stocks to ensure the most at-risk in society were adequately covered.
But a HSE spokesman said today the situation in Britain was not expected to have an impact on Irish supplies.
A total of 700,000 doses will be made available through GPs, the spokesman said. Half of these are expected to be delivered by the end of this week.
The HSE is to begin a national advertising campaign on October 16th, urging members of the public to avail of the service.
The vaccine is usually given to high-risk groups first, including the elderly, people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, and those with chronic conditions such as heart disease, kidney problems and diabetes.
