A PROGRAMME which will see about 800,000 primary and secondary school students offered the swine flu vaccination got under way yesterday.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said reports from across the State suggested the roll out of the scheme had gone smoothly and that the majority of parents were consenting to their children receiving the vaccine.
A spokeswoman for the HSE said vaccination teams had travelled to a small number of schools yesterday, generally larger facilities with more than 400 pupils.
She said the teams would have experience in interacting with schoolchildren on such initiatives as they had provided the MMR vaccine in the past.
The first schools being targeted by the vaccination teams received a letter from the HSE last month and others will be written to in coming weeks. All school staff will also be offered the vaccination.
The HSE spokeswoman said it would not be possible for teams to go into every individual school and in some instances, a number of schools may be invited to bring their pupils to another school on the day where vaccinations are being administered.
In other cases, pupils and staff will be advised to attend a HSE clinic and appointments for these children should be made by their parents or guardians.
By the time this phase of the national vaccination programme is completed early next year, everyone under the age of 18 and over six months will have been offered the vaccination.
It is understood that children under 13 will require two doses of the vaccine and those 13 and over may need a second dose.
“The HSE is, therefore, initially focusing on vaccinating all children and arrangements for how the second dose will be given to those that require it will be advised by the HSE at a later date,” the spokeswoman added.
A vaccination pack is to be provided to each student offered the vaccine, as well as a consent form which needs to be signed by the parents of children aged under 16.
A spokesman for the Irish National Teachers Organisation said he expected its members would be happy to co-operate in full with the programme.
