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HSE Dublin and North East are holding free walk‑in clinics offering the children’s nasal flu vaccine (LAIV) in Louth, this weekend and after Christmas. These pop‑up clinics are designed to make vaccination more accessible for families during the busy festive period.
The LAIV (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine) nasal spray is a quick, painless spray administered into each nostril, offering children aged 2–17 years effective protection against the flu.
The walk-in clinics are being provided as Louth emerged as one of the county’s worst affected by the wave of flu sweeping the country,
Emergency Departments across the country have experienced significant increases in people presenting with influenza. as well as those with COVID-19 and RSV.
“Flu can be extremely serious for children and can easily spread within families and communities, particularly during large gatherings,” Dr Paul Mullane, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, said. “These free walk-in clinics provide parents with a convenient opportunity to protect their children with the nasal flu vaccine and help reduce the spread of flu, particularly during the busy festive period.”
In Louth, free walk-in clinics will be held at the Louth Meath Vaccination Base, St Brigids Campus (Old Church Building), Kells Road, Ardee on Saturday, December 20 from 10am to 2pm, and on Monday December 22 from 2pm to 4pm.
There will also be a clinic at the Boyne Primary Care Centre, Drogheda (clinic rooms 1&2 Ground Floor) on Monday December 22 from 10am to 13pm and at the Primary Care Centre, Barrack Street, Dundalk on Saturday December 27 from 2pm to 4pm.