Vaccination of schoolchildren against TB is to resume in Northern Ireland following an interruption of more than a year.
The BCG schools immunisation programme was suspended in September 1999 because of manufacturing problems at the supplier, Celltech Medeva.
"Despite efforts to secure more supplies of the vaccine there was no alternative but to put the schools programme on hold," the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety said yesterday. "Supplies of vaccine have remained available for groups at a higher risk of TB."
Students who missed their vaccinations and are set to leave school this summer will be the first to be immunised in the resumed campaign. A catch-up programme to immunise other pupils will start in the next academic year (2001-2002).
The aim is to resume routine vaccination for the academic year starting in 2002.
"I would like to assure parents that every effort will be made to vaccinate all of the children who have missed out on the BCG vaccine since September 1999," the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Ms Bairbre de Brun, said yesterday. "We know that parents have been concerned about the health of their children while the programme had been suspended."
Supplies of the vaccine will be made available to local immunisation co-ordinators over the next couple of months.
In the Republic, the BCG vaccination is given after birth in most cases, and there has been no disruption of supplies.
pomorain@irish-times.ie