A pilot programme to vaccinate children up to 11 in primary schools in England has been put on hold just before it was scheduled to start.
Supplier AstraZeneca has told the NHS some batches of the nasal spray involved did not meet licensing specifications.
The programme will not go ahead until new supplies from the US have been thoroughly tested, Public Health England (PHE) said on Wednesday.
The announcement comes just as vaccination programmes are preparing to start across the country.
Two- to four-year-olds are vaccinated free via GPs while the spray is routinely available without charge for six- and seven-year-olds. But this year it is to be offered free to older children in primary schools in trial areas. About 150,000 children could be involved in Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Essex, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and London.
Paul Cosford, the medical director of PHE, said: “In recent days, AstraZeneca has informed us of a supply issue. Because some of the vaccine did not meet the strict licensing specifications, it will not be used.
“As with all of our vacination programmes, we are using an established contingency plan and AstraZeneca are currently putting an alternative supply of the same vaccine from the US through European testing. Providing they meet the standards, these batches will be made available in the coming weeks.”
Health officials said on Wednesday night they were being “transparent” about the potential problems and hoped to be on track within a couple of weeks.
The hitch comes less than a year after the chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, suggested that the NHS’s financial problems were undermining hopes of offering free flu vaccination to all children under 17.
Most adults are vaccinated through jabs provided by a different manufacturer. Those over 65, pregnant women, and people with an underlying health condition are offered free innoculation.
AstraZeneca said all those involved in the schools programme had worked to ensure there was minimal delay.
