Less than half of parents in Ireland are aware of which diseases their children are vaccinated against.
A survey of over 400 mums and dads commissioned by healthcare company GSK reveals that nearly one third (31 per cent) mistakenly thought that Meningitis B was currently covered by the national immunisation programme while some parents thought their child had been immunised against rotavirus (12 per cent) and seasonal influenza (10 per cent). Furthermore, 60 per cent were not aware that tetanus, and Hepatitis B were included in the programme.
While 35 per cent admitted that they were less than well-informed on how vaccines work , the vast majority (87 per cent) were aware that not vaccinating your children puts others at risk. Half of all those surveyed admitted that they were very concerned that their child may contract a vaccine-preventable disease
The GP remains the key influencer in deciding whether or not to get your child vaccinated, but the second most influential factor was considered to be articles on parenting and health websites, with 47 per cent of respondents trusting them above family and friends.
