Pharmacists have called on the Government to allow them to provide more vaccination services to the general public.

Pharmacists already offer a flu vaccination service, but according to the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), if they offered other vaccines, this could improve patient outcomes and ‘free up other frontline services to concentrate on more chronic areas of healthcare'.

The IPU noted that in many other countries, pharmacists offer a range of vaccines. For example, in many parts of the US, various vaccines are on offer, including meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, and travel vaccines. Meanwhile, in the UK, people in their 70s are vaccinated against shingles.

The IPU believes that Irish pharmacists should be allowed to vaccinate patients against a number of conditions, including pneumococcal disease, hepatitis B and shingles.

In the case of shingles, it points out that anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of developing this condition, which affects the nerves and surrounding skin. The vast majority of adults in Ireland have previously had chickenpox and one in four is at risk of developing shingles at some point.

Symptoms include a painful, blistering rash on one side of the body and while this pain usually ends once the rash has healed, some people suffer long-term pain which can last from weeks to years.

The IPU insisted that vaccination is a ‘safe, cost-effective and efficient means of preventing illness, disability and death from certain infectious diseases'.

It noted that the flu vaccination service has been a success, with over 51,500 vaccinations being carried out in pharmacies during the 2014/2015 flu season.

"The proof is there that pharmacists can make a difference when it comes to immunisations so let's build on that success," commented IPU honorary treasurer, Bernard Duggan, at the recent IPU national pharmacy conference in Killarney.