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Health Boards to carry out BCG vaccine checks |
(21:03)
Around
30,000 children and adults who received a BCG vaccine between April
2000 and 2002 are to be examined by their local Health Boards to see
if the vaccine has been effective.
This follows an announcement today by the Minister for Health that the
Irish Medicines Board has advised that a further batch of the BCG
vaccine has been found to be less potent that that which is normally
administered.
The use of the BCG vaccine manufactured by Evans Vaccines Ltd has been
suspended since July when it was discovered that a batch administered
to 2,500 people, mainly babies, was less effective than it should have
been. The company's licence has also been suspended.
In a statement today, the Minister said that there is no health threat
to persons who received the vaccine from either of the two batches
concerned, other than that they may not have received immunity from
the vaccine.
BCG provides protection against TB and is normally given to children
at birth at maternity hospitals.
Alternative effective supplies of BCG vaccine have been secured and
are being delivered to the health boards. More will be available in
September.
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NEWS
