AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after more than 50 children were given double the correct dose of the swine flu jab at a Cheshire health centre.
The 59 children, all below the age of five, were given adult swine flu vaccines at the Healthcare Resource Centre, in Widnes, on Tuesday.
Halton and St Helens PCT has apologised to the affected families and is in the process of contacting parents.
Children without any underlying health conditions should be given a 0.25ml dose of the Pandemrix vaccine, but the children in question were injected with 0.5ml by mistake, the dose meant for adults.
Children with health problems should have two 0.25ml doses, but three weeks apart. Even with this gap, some have experienced side effects such as fever.
Health chiefs have reassured parents that no “significant” reactions are expected.
One parent of a seven-month-old girl, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “We had a letter inviting us to get our daughter vaccinated and we decided to do it.
“But afterwards we were contacted and told our daughter had been given an adult dose of the vaccine, it has really worried us. We are scared she is going to suffer side effects, a mistake like this shouldn’t have been made. “Some parents are worried about getting their children vaccinated as it is, but we decided it was the right thing to do. But this has made us wonder whether we should have done.”
All children under the age of five are currently being offered the jab, as they are more vulnerable to the virus than older children and adults.
A spokeswoman for Halton and St Helens PCT said: “We can confirm there has been an incident with swine flu immunisations for children that has resulted in a number of children up to five years old being given an adult dose of Pandemrix. An investigation has been launched to find out how this occurred. We sincerely apologise to the families concerned, and have been actively contacting those affected by telephone and giving full advice on the typical symptoms that may occur following vaccination.
“We would reassure parents that no significant adverse reactions are expected as a result.”
She added: “The safety of our patients is our first priority and we are taking the investigation extremely seriously.
“We would like to reassure patients and public that this sort of incident is very rare.”
People with concerns should contact the child health team on 01744 627 568, or their GP out of hours.
