Childhood Care & Immunisations
All of our GPs have worked in paediatric hospitals as part of their General Practice training. They are also highly experienced in treating common childhood illnesses in the community and addressing parental concerns. We offer all routine Childhood Vaccinations and other vaccinations on request eg; Chicken Pox vaccine.
For information on pregnancy care see:
Under 8s GP Visit Card
All children under 8 years of age living in Ireland can get a GP visit card.
The under 8s GP visit card covers:
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free GP visits
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assessments at age 2 and 5
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GP home visits
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out-of-hours urgent GP care
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care for children with asthma
Medication costs and hospital charges are not covered.
Please be aware that free GP care cannot be provided until you have a valid Under 8 card number for your child. If an application has not been made for your child following their 6 week check all GP visits between the 6 week check and having a valid card number will be charged at the normal rate.
Register Online
Click here to register your child for an Under 8 GP Visit Card.
To register your child you need to provide your:
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PPS number
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child's PPS number
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GP's name
Do you have a medical card?
If your family already have a GMS card and your child needs to be added to the family card please contact reception and we will apply for you. You will need to provide a copy of your child's birth cert and PPS number.
If you are a private patient you will need to apply for the card online due to it being a new application.
Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule
Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting babies and children against certain diseases. The risks from having these diseases are far greater than the risk of any minor side effects from immunisation.
Click the images to download a copy of the immunisation schedule and a guide for parents on your child's immunisations.
Click here for more information on the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule.
School Vaccine Programme
During the school year:
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Children in Junior Infants will be offered 4 in 1 and MMR vaccines
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Students in first year of secondary school will be offered HPV, Tdap and MenACWY
These vaccines are also available to students who are in special schools or are home schooled in the same age group.
Learn more about the
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4 in 1 and MMR school programme
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Tdap school programme
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MenACWY school programme
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HPV school programme
All the vaccines given in the schools' immunisation programme are free.
You can also speak to your local school immunisation team if you have any questions.
Click here for information on the School Programme.
HPV Vaccines for Girls & Boys
The HPV vaccine has been offered to girls in their first year of secondary school since 2010. This is because the most common cancer caused by the HPV virus is cervical cancer which only affects women.
From September 2019, boys will also be offered the HPV vaccine. This is because HPV can cause cancers and genital warts in boys too.
The more young people vaccinated - both boys and girls - the better we can control the spread of the infection.
Conditions Caused by HPV Infection
In girls, HPV infection can cause cancer of the:
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cervix
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vulva (the area surrounding the opening of the vagina)
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vaginal
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anus
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throat
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head and neck
In boys, HPV infection can cause cancer of the:
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anus
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throat
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penis
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head and neck
HPV infection can also cause genital warts in both girls and boys.
For HPV Facts and information about the HPV programme see HSE HPV Vaccine.
Flu Vaccine for Children
Children aged 2 to 17 can get the nasal flu vaccine for free. Your child does not have to be in an at-risk group to receive the vaccine. The flu vaccine will help protect your child against flu and reduce the spread of flu to others, for example, their grandparents, parents and siblings. The nasal flu vaccine has been given to children in the US since 2003 and in the UK since 2013.
Please contact reception to book a flu vaccine for your child.
For more information from the HSE on the children's flu vaccine, please click here.
Useful Links & Resources
Some of the child health information available from the HSE:
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See our Healthier Living page for advice on how to improve your child's health and nutrition.
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mychild.ie - guide to pregnancy, baby and toddler health
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undertheweather.ie - A lot of everyday illnesses like colds, coughs, flu, earache and sore throats don’t need an antibiotic. Learn how to look after yourself and your family when you’re sick or have a high temperature. Find out what treatments are available besides antibiotics.
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Assessment of Need/Disability Assessment - if your child has a disability or you think they may have a disability you can apply for an Assessment of Need.
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Ballymun Child and Family Resource Centre - The aim of the Ballymun Family Resource Centre programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit, to encourage community participation and promote social inclusion.
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Young Ballymun - service focused on improving wellbeing and learning outcomes for children. Their services develop capacity of parents and practitioners across children’s, family and community environments and the relevant children’s services in the health, early years, primary education, community and other sectors.
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Drop-in Psychology Clinic Ballymun - This clinic is for adults and parents who have concerns about their child.
This content of this page (and links to other sites) is for general information purposes only and does not substitute medical advice. While we endeavour to keep this website up-to-date, errors may occur. We advise all patients to discuss their health concerns with their GP. If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.