ANGER, bewilderment, curiosity, concern parents of 66 senior infants were running the gamut of emotions in Newbridge, Co Kildare, last night as word emerged of the statement issued by the Eastern Health Board on the mistake over vaccinations.
A hand written note was how the mother of one of the affected children first heard of the error. She and her husband had been out last Wednesday night, hours after their son returned from St Conleth's primary school. Like most parents, the couple had consented to a two in one bolster.
"Re: School Booster", the note from a senior area medical officer read. "Received three in one, not two in one. There's no problem with this. Want to inform you he may have local reaction on arm. You can ring me tomorrow." The note contained the doctor's name and a contact telephone number.
When the note was delivered at about 9 p.m. it caused no alarm to the babysitter. However, some parents received a knock on the door up to 11 o'clock at night as extra doctors were drafted in to explain what had occurred. There was no cause for worry, they were told. The three in one vaccine was not "contra indicated" in this age group. There might be a temperature, some swelling, a spot on the arm.
"Scandalous" was how Mrs Mary Frances McGivern, mother of one of the children, described her feelings. Her son, Jonathan, who will be six in January, was due to have an operation in Crumlin Children's Hospital next Monday, but this had to be postponed when the booster was delivered without her knowledge - although with her consent.
"I had already raised this with the parents' association when I got a knock on the door about a wrong vaccination. There's something critically wrong here. I, think whoever gave out the wrong batch should be sacked".
