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
• Irish

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

• 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
• Irish

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

• 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 (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 http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Referrals_document/HPV_vaccines_20/European_Commission_final_decision/WC500196773.pdf
• 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. Postlicensure 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)
• 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). 
• 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)
• 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

People who have not previously received a HPV vaccine and in the following cohorts can receive a HPV vaccine through the Laura Brennan HPV catch-up vaccination programme:

• students in second to sixth year of secondary school, homeschool or special school
• female age 24 or younger
• male age 21 or younger

Information materials for parents and eligible people are available in the HPV school section

To read more about HPV please visit the following pages

• HPV vaccine catch-up programme
• HPV virus
• HPV vaccine
• HPV Information Materials

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

Post vaccination Advice in English and Irish

The Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) and Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) for HPV vaccine is available from the www.hpra.ie website. Search for Gardasil 9 to read the SmPC or PIL. 

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

• Royal College of Physicians of Ireland - Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. Chapter 10 - Human Papillomavirus (you will be directed to the RCPI website)
• Supporting Information for Staff The Laura Brennan HPV Catch-up Vaccination Programme 2022 - December 2023 (August 2023) 
• Medicine Protocol for the administration of Gardasil 9 (HPV9) vaccine for the Laura Brennan HPV Catch Up Vaccination Programme (314 KB)
• Considerations for Prevention and Management of Syncope in Vaccination Clinics (102KB)
• HPV Frequently Asked Questions (August 2023)
• HPV Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness

• Session Report Form for primary school
• Session Report Form for second level schools
• Session Report Form for mop up clinics
• Session Report Form for the Laura Brennan HPV Catch Up Vaccination Programme
• Adverse Event Clinical form