Calls to set up national vaccination register

A national vaccination register should be set up to ensure exact details are readily available about people in the grip of virus outbreaks such as that at the Nazareth House nursing home.

The Irish Patients Association made the call after six older people died and 27 more were infected by flu at the private elderly care facility in Buncrana, Co Donegal.

Two of the six who died were aged between 85 and 98 and did not receive a flu vaccine this winter.