Reilly urged to pay vaccine damages

Minister for Health Dr James Reilly has been urged to put in place a no-fault compensation payment scheme for those children who have been affected by serious adverse reactions from State vaccine programmes.

It is now almost three years since the Vaccine Damage Steering Group, set up by the Department of Health, made the recommendation to Government that a scheme be put in place.

The steering group included representatives from the department, the HSE, the Irish Medicines Board and State Claims Agency.

It recommended payments should range from €15,000 for minor damage caused by vaccines to €200,000 for severe damage.

The report concluded there was an onus on the State to look sympathetically at the very rare number of cases where children suffer serious adverse reactions because of their participation in State vaccine schemes.

The group recommended any payment to an individual damaged by a vaccine should not be regarded as compensation but rather a recognition, in limited cases, that an adverse event could take place following immunisation and “on the balance of probability” damage occurred as a result.

TD Denis Naughten claimed yesterday the report was “being allowed to gather dust”. Having made the call for its implementation, the Independent TD was told by Dr Reilly that his department was examining the steering group’s recommendations.

The minister said: “However, this issue is complex and needs to be considered in the wider context of how best to address the long- term health and social needs of people who may have experienced adverse outcomes from other health services.”

Mr Naughten said there are over 100 families seeking compensation for adverse reactions dating back to the 1960s.

The former Fine Gael deputy said: “Ireland is one of the few countries where a no-fault compensation scheme is not in place.”

Irish Vaccine Injury Support (IVIS) was established in 2001 and today represents 120 families. Spokeswoman Rita Duff confirmed 80% of the cases where children suffered serious adverse reactions to vaccines date back to the 1970s.

Ms Duff said successive Governments “despite being requested to deal with this issue have failed to even recognise our children’s very existence, leaving us as parents isolated and trying to cope with the catastrophic injuries and in some cases death caused by vaccines promoted by the State”.

She said IVIS was prepared to work together with Dr Reilly and any state agency to set up an agreed compensation scheme within a certain timeframe.

“IVIS want acceptance by the State and the pharmaceutical and medical profession that sometimes things can go wrong with vaccines. We want the pharmaceutical industry made accountable /responsible when their product is not perfect and playing their part in any compensation scheme.”