Parents appeal for premature babies to be included in vaccine scheme

Éanna Ó Fátharta was rife with complications at birth, jumping the gun on his due date by a heart-stopping 15 weeks.

His extremely premature arrival on August 11, instead of November 19, scuppered any chance of a smooth delivery and, with it, any chance of entitlement to the HSE’s new and improved immunisation scheme.

Had he stuck to his scheduled date, he would have been one of the lucky babies born since October 1 automatically entitled to Meningococcal B and rotavirus vaccinations, as per the revised primary childhood immunisation schedule.