School Programme 2023/2024

The programme aims to vaccinate on an annual basis by targeting students in junior infants of primary schools and age equivalent in special schools and home schooled students with 4 in 1 and MMR.

These vaccines are given by a HSE doctor or nurse in primary school to Junior Infants. In Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim these vaccines are given by GPs.

Information materials for parents are available in the 4 in 1 and MMR school section

The following information materials are available for healthcare professionals carrying out this programme.

Post Vaccination Advice

• English (size 556KB)
• Irish (size 560KB)

The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) and Patient Information Leaflets (PIL) for the 4 in 1 and MMR vaccines are available from the www.hpra.ie website. Search for Tetravac, Priorix and MMRVaxPro to read the SmPC or PIL.  

Please note you will be leaving www.immunisation.ie when you click the SmPC and PIL links above.

• Royal College of Physicians of Ireland - Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland (you will be directed to the RCPI website)
• Supporting Information for Staff - Schools Immunisation Programme 2023/2024 academic year (569 KB)
• School Medicine Protocols and training slides
• Considerations for Prevention and Management of Syncope in Vaccination Clinics (102 KB)

The programme aims to vaccinate on an annual basis by targeting students in first year in second level schools and age equivalent in special schools and home schooled with HPV, Tdap and MenACWY vaccine.

Information materials for parents are available in the

• HPV school section
• Tdap school section
• MenACWY school section

The following information materials are available for healthcare professionals carrying out this programme.

Post Vaccination Advice

• English (size 523KB)
• Irish (size 524KB)

The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) and Patient Information Leaflets (PIL) for

• HPV vaccine is available from the www.hpra.ie website. Search for Gardasil 9 to read the SmPC or PIL. 
• Tdap vaccine is available from the www.hpra.ie website. Search for Boostrix to read the SmPC or PIL.
• MenACWYvaccine is available from the www.hpra.ie website. Search for Nimenrix to read the SmPC or PIL. 

Please note you will be leaving www.immunisation.ie when you click the SPC and PIL links above.

• Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland (you will be directed to the RCPI website)
• Supporting Information for Staff - Schools Immunisation Programme 2023/2024 academic year (569 KB)
• School Medicine Protocols and training slides
• Considerations for Prevention and Management of Syncope in Vaccination Clinics (102 KB)
• HPV FAQs (July 2023)
• Tdap FAQs (July 2023)
• MenACWY FAQs (July 2023)
• HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness

More Information about HPV can be found at the following websites:

• Information about HPV vaccine and the HPV immunisation programme www.hpra.ie/homepage/medicines/special-topics/hpv-school-immunisation (you will be directed to the HPRA website)
• HPV is safe (Gardasil) available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/pdf/data-summary-hpv-gardasil-vaccine-is-safe.pdf (size 231KB) (you will be directed to the CDC website)
• Gardasil safety reports
• EMA. HPV vaccines: EMA confirms evidence does not support that they cause CRPS or POTS EMA/788882/2015 12 January 2016, available at https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/referral/hpv-vaccines-article-20-procedure-ema-confirms-evidence-does-not-support-they-cause-crps-or-pots_en.pdf  (size 104KB) (you will be directed to the EMA Europa website)
• Post-licensure data for Gardasil distributed in the United States from 2006 to end of 2008 was published in JAMA2009. Slade BA, Leidel L, Vellozzi C, Woo EJ, Hua W, Sutherland A, Izurieta HS, Ball R, Miller N, Braun MM, Markowitz LE, Iskander J. Post licensure safety surveillance for quadrivalent human papillomavirus recombinant vaccine. JAMA. 2009 Aug 19;302(7):750-7 (available at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/7/750) (you will be directed to the JAMMA Network website)
• World Health Organization, Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety. Update on human papillomavirus vaccines. Weekly Epidemiological Record 2013 29 309-312. (available at https://www.who.int/groups/global-advisory-committee-on-vaccine-safety/topics/human-papillomavirus-vaccines/update-2013). (you will be directed to the WHO website)
• Arnheim-Dahlström L, Pasternak B, Svanström H, Sparén P and Hviid A. Autoimmune, neurological, and venous thromboembolic adverse events after immunisation of adolescent girls with quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in Denmark and Sweden: cohort study. BMJ 2013;347:f5906 (available at http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5906) (you will be directed to the BMJ website)
• An Overview of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Safety 2006 to 2015 Vichin M, Bonanni P, Klein N, Garland S, Block  S, Kjaer S Sings H, Perez G, Haupt R, Saah A, Lievano F, Velicer C, Drury R and Kuter B An Overview  of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Safety 2006 to 2015. PIDJ 2015; 34(9) 983 -1007 available at http://journals.lww.com/pidj/Fulltext/2015/09000/An_Overview_of_Quadrivalent_Human_Papillomavirus.17.aspx (you will be directed to the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal website)

• Session Report Form for primary school (size 35.4KB)
• Session Report Form for second level schools (size 90.5KB)
• Session Report Form for mop up clinics (size 44.4KB)
• Adverse Event Clinical form (size 49.2KB)