An error in the dosage of flu vaccine given to the public and the Health Service Executive´s own staff has the potential to result in medical negligence claims.
Red-faced officials at the HSE admitted that child dosages of the flu vaccine had been administered to almost 500 members of the public and 850 employees at eleven HSE centres in the Dublin and Mid-Leinster regions – leaving them at risk of contracting a flu virus when the recipients of the vaccine would have believed they were protected against infection.
The error only came to light after a pharmacist queried why so much vaccine remained in the syringe after administering the “recommended” dosage, and it is believed that 75 of 835 pharmacists trained to give flu vaccines to those most at risk from contracting the virus were incorrectly trained by Hibernian Healthcare.
The company has now acknowledged its error and agreed to cover the cost of providing second flu vaccines to ensure recipients are adequately protected. However the question of whether a person who fails to receive a booster vaccine, and then falls ill from the flu, is entitled to make a medical negligence claim for compensation still remains open.
The majority of the incorrect flu vaccine doses have been given to those most at risk from contracting the virus, including people with long-term illnesses, the elderly and front-line HSE staff. Should any of these people fall ill from the flu due to being given an inadequate dose of flu vaccine, the consequences could be fatal.