Prophylactic Paracetamol Following Meningitis B Vaccination
From October 2017, community pharmacists may dispense 100mls Paracetamol 120mg/5ml sugar-free oral suspension for infants aged 12 months and under as prophylaxis against fever following administration of the Meningitis B vaccination.
Previous PGDs are no longer required as the licensing for Paracetamol 120mg/5ml sugar-free oral suspension has been updated – it now allows THREE 2.5ml doses of Paracetamol to be administered to infants over a 24 hour period following administration of the Meningitis B vaccination. Product packaging and patient information leaflets have been updated to reflect the change in product licensing.
Community pharmacists in NHS Forth Valley can continue to supply 100mls Paracetamol 120mg/5ml sugar-free oral suspension for infants aged 12 months and under as prophylaxis against fever following administration of the Meningitis B vaccination on prescription. This should be supplied using the Universal Claim Framework (UCF) functionality on your pharmacy PMR system. There is no requirement to submit the paper form to NHS practitioner services as you will be paid via the electronic claim. On rare occasions when you do not have a CHI number for an infant, or if you are not yet enabled for UCF, you can handwrite a CPUS prescription for “MVP infant paracetamol suspension S/F 120mg/5mL” and submit the handwritten form to NHS practitioner services for reimbursement.
Please be aware that the service specification states there is no requirement for an infant to have received the Meningitis B vaccine before you supply the Paracetamol suspension – it can be supplied BEFORE OR AFTER vaccination. It is considered good practice for the infant’s representative/guardian to provide confirmation of Meningitis B vaccination by presenting the infant’s ‘Personal Child Health Record’ booklet, but failure to do so is not a valid reason for a pharmacist to refuse a supply. The pharmacist must counsel the infant’s representative/guardian appropriately as the three 2.5ml doses of Paracetamol can only be administered following Meningitis B vaccination – this advice does not extend to fever at any other time and in a situation where an infant is otherwise unwell, they should not delay seeking medical attention.
Further information and the service specification can be found in PCA (P) (2015) 25