Adverse reactions to vaccines can "occasionally" occur but the benefits of immunisation to children far outweigh the potential risks, the Department of Health said yesterday.
Adverse reactions can include rash, fever or redness at the site of injection but the Department's chief medical officer, Dr Jim Kiely, stressed there had been no proven link between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and the onset of autism.
In a presentation to the joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, which is examining whether children should be vaccinated in response to public concerns and poor take-up rates, Dr Kiely said the Department promoted vaccination. He said immunisation was one of the most important and cost-effective public health measures.
"Our policy is guided by advice from a range of independent expert sources, both in Ireland and at international level," he said.
"All of the expert advice available to the Minister and his officials is that the vaccines in use are very safe and that they are highly effective in preventing infectious disease, both in individuals and in the community generally," Dr Kiely said.
Dr Kevin Kelleher, director of public health with the Mid-Western Health Board, said children could die if they were not immunised, as evidenced by the death of two children from measles in the past year. Much of the information parents received about immunisation was misleading or inaccurate.
Ms Anne Nolan, CEO of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, said that although vaccines in general were extremely safe, "no vaccine is completely without adverse effects. Minor reactions to vaccinations are common and expected. Serious major reactions are extremely rare."
She added that uptake levels remained "worryingly low" and recommended this be addressed in several ways, including giving parents time off work to have their children vaccinated. The committee will hear further submissions from the medical profession in the new year.