Harris’ ‘alliance’ to boost vaccine rates
Minister wants to enlist doctors, teachers and parents
HEALTH Minister Simon Harris wants to establish an alliance of doctors, teachers and parents to promote vaccinations.
Mr Harris will today attend a meeting with his European counterparts in Bucharest to improve vaccination rates and to counter myths and misinformation online.
His attendance at this meeting in Romania comes just over a week after he said he ‘instinctively agrees’ with a ban on unvaccinated children attending schools and creches.
The Irish Daily Mail revealed last week that Mr Harris – who is a vocal advocate for vaccination – had made the admission online to a consultant, Dr Dominic Rowley, but and says he wants to ‘research further’, including on potential legal problems.
Today, Mr Harris will speak with his European colleagues about how to improve vaccination rates. Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail yesterday, Mr Harris said he wants to establish an alliance to improve vaccine rates here.
He hopes this alliance would be comprised of ‘medical professionals, educators, parents, patient advocates and policy makers’ with a purpose of establishing ‘how we can promote vaccination’.
Mr Harris said: ‘I will again use the meeting to raise how EU health ministers can work together to improve vaccination rates.
‘Some have taken bold steps and introduced mandatory vaccination. I have already laid out my position on that but I want to discuss steps we can take to improve vaccination rates before such decisions are taken.
‘There is a body of work to be done here to reduce vaccine hesitancy, to counter the myths spread online about vaccination. We have seen in recent days the extent of misinformation that still exists in Ireland and the reaction of some when you challenge their theories.
‘So, education is key and that stretches to healthcare professionals, parents, teachers. This is something I will raise today but will also seek to discuss with my ministerial colleagues in Education and Children also.
‘I want to establish an alliance of medical professionals, educators, parents, patient advocates and policy makers to establish how we can promote vaccination, the benefits of it and reduce the spread of myths that ultimately cost lives.’
Last week, Dr Rowley, an advocate for vaccinations, urged the minister online to make a ‘bold step’ and ban healthy unvaccinated children from creches and schools, branding the move a ‘really simple life-saving concept’ that would help protect children who cannot receive vaccines.
It is envisaged that such a ban would not apply to children who cannot receive the vaccinations for medical reasons.
The minister responded: ‘Instinctively agree. Think we may have constitutional issues here. Will research further. #Vaccines SaveLines.’
Restrictions on children attending schools and creches who have not been vaccinated have been introduced in Italy and France.
Last week, city officials in New York moved to introduce an emergency order compelling parents in particular areas of the city to vaccinate their children for measles, or face the prospect of being fined.
Dr Rowley told the Mail that if Ireland was to impose such a ban on unvaccinated children it would be a ‘brave and bold’ move that would ultimately ‘mark us out in leadership in Europe’s vaccination rates’.
Last month, days after vaccination campaigner Laura Brennan died after a battle with cervical cancer, Minister Harris said there was a need to have a ‘very serious national conversation about cracking down on misinformation in relation vaccinations’.
He also said there was cause to be ‘really concerned about what’s going on here’ as there has been a ‘measles outbreak in our country’ and a mumps outbreak.
Speaking at an Oireachtas Health committee last week, the Minister said that parents who decide not to vaccinate their children were ‘sending [their] child… into a school or creche to potentially spread illness around there as well’.
‘Want to reduce vaccine hesitancy’