The Prevenar vaccine protects against pneumococcal meningitis, the deadliest form of the illness and the secondmost common form in Ireland.

While the drug has been licensed in the EU since 2001 and the National Immunisation Advisory Board has recommended its introduction, no vaccination programme has been introduced by the Department of Health.

"The foundation has been campaigning for many years for pneumococcal vaccine to be introduced into the childhood immunisation programme, " said MRF chief executive Denise Vaughan, adding that cases of this form of meningitis had plummeted in countries that used the vaccine.

Prevenar is produced by Wyeth at its plant in Dublin, and exported worldwide.

"Children born in Britain, Northern Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia and many EU states are protected against life-threatening illnesses by a vaccine manufactured in Dublin, " said Fine Gael health spokesman Brian Hayes. "Yet children in Ireland remain at risk because of the failure of the minister to prioritise the introduction of the vaccine."

A spokeswoman for the department said it had been "in contact with the HSE indicating that the implementation of the proposed changes in the schedule is of high priority and asking that arrangements are put in place to give effect to these changes as soon as possible".