Britain said yesterday it was suspending all vaccinations against tuberculosis after the firm that supplies the vaccine recalled it following the discovery of a failed batch in the Republic.
Biotechnology firm PowderJect Pharmaceuticals said it was voluntarily recalling its BCG tuberculosis vaccine in Britain as a precautionary measure after its licence for the vaccine in Ireland was suspended after tests.
The decision "follows testing that revealed a small number of batches did not meet the end-of-shelf-life specification," PowderJect said in a statement.
A spokesman for the UK’s Department of Health said the recall meant all vaccinations would have to be suspended.
"All BCG vaccinations will have to be suspended as a result of this decision. They will be restarted as soon as a suitable vaccine does become available and the department is working to achieve this as soon as possible," he said. But the spokesman stressed: "No concerns about the safety of the vaccine have been raised".