The Irish Medical Organistaion (IMO) has called on health boards to implement a fully comprehensive vaccination programme to immunise children against the measles.
Dr Liam Lynch, president of the IMO, said that although such a programme existed on paper, a comprehensive and resourced programme had yet to be implemented on the ground.
Dr Lynch was responding to the results of a survey in the British Medical Journal this morning which show that nearly one in five GP's in Britain had not read official advice about the MMR vaccine and that many health professionals have reservations about the second dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine
The survey showed that in Britain, 48 per cent of the professionals had reservations about the second vaccine, normally administered to children between the ages of three and five, and that only 20% would unequivocally recommend the second dose to a wavering parent.
In Ireland, the lowest uptake of immunisation programmes is for the MMR vaccine, which provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella. In the second quarter of last year, 76.7 per cent of two-year-olds had been given the MMR vaccine compared with 77.1 per cent in the same period of the previous year
Speaking to ireland.comthis morning, Dr Lynch said that parents need to be systematically informed by their GP about the need to have their children vaccinated and that while they should have the option to 'sign-off' on the second vaccination, they should be encouraged to do so.
"Ideally, we would like to see children vaccinated at six months, fifteen months and then before entering school, it is ultimately up to the parents to decide," said Dr Lynch.
"This is not the responsibility of schools but of family doctors who know the entire medical history of a given family.
"We are still waiting for the health boards to implement a vaccination programme nationally, and although this has happened in many areas, it is not systematic."
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children received 80 submissions when it invited views on the issue. Some parents' groups allege there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The chief medical officer of the Department of Health and Children, Dr Jim Kiely, recently stressed that no such link had been proven.
Other parents' groups say administration of the vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella in one dose is potentially dangerous and they should have the option of separate vaccinations. Dr Kiely says the vaccines are very safe and highly effective.