THE Eastern Health Board should have responded more quickly when a doctor administered the wrong vaccine to 67 school children, the chairman of the parents association said last night.
Mr Robert Nugent said the report into the incident at St Conleth's Infant School, Newbridge, Co Kildare, showed the doctor informed her superior the same day that it occurred. However, the EHB did not inform parents until the following night.
"Parents will not be happy that there was a 24 hour delay when you consider that the first 24 hours are the most crucial. Why did the board not inform parents faster?" asked Mr Nugent.
The report, ordered by the EHB, says the doctor discovered her mistake during Wednesday afternoon when she was completing the individual immunisation record cards for the children. She reported her error to her superior at 7.30 p.m. that evening.
During the conversation it was agreed that the doctor would return to the school to check on the children who had been immunised. She completed the vaccination programme using 2 in 1 for the remaining 22 children. She also discovered that nine of the children were not at school.
On Thursday night doctors and public health nurses visited the homes of parents to inform them of the error and to check on each child.
Mr Nugent said the parents involved had been informed of the findings of the report. They are to meet EHB officials next Monday to discuss the matter.
Mr Nugent said he was not aware if any of the parents had sought legal advice. The EHB has written to each parent apologising for the error.
The doctor involved is still off duty, according to a health board spokeswoman.
The report said that on the morning of the vaccinations the doctor took the doses of 3 in 1 from the fridge in the local health centre in Newbridge by mistake.
It called for clearer guidelines on the administration of vaccines. The reason for the mistake was a failure to check that the correct vaccine was contained in the vials to be used for the vaccination.
The authors of the report concluded that "human error" was the reason for administering the wrong vaccine.
The doctor has expressed her regret for the upset caused to the children, their parents, colleagues and the EHB.