Dr Rachel McLoughlin launches “Vaccines Save Lives” video campaign
Posted on: 21 September 2020
Today one of Ireland’s leading scientists, in the field of immunology at Trinity, launches a Vaccines Save Lives video-based campaign to focus the minds of parents on the importance of continuing to vaccinate our children, especially during the pandemic.
Taking her youngest daughter to get her scheduled vaccines in the midst of the COVID-19 world pandemic prompted Dr Rachel McLoughlin to take a stance on the importance of protecting our children from infectious diseases.
In an effort to reach as many parents as possible with her #KeepVaccinating message, Dr Rachel McLoughlin has produced a motivational series of videos to be shared online, and to underline the far-reaching effects that a potentially deadly virus can have on our lives.
The Vaccines Save Lives series of videos produced by Dr Rachel McLoughlin are supported by the Health Research Board and are hosted on the Trinity and HSE Ireland YouTube channels for viewing and sharing online. You can view them below.
To support the launch of the new Vaccines Save Lives videos, the BabyDoc Club online parenting community commissioned research to gain insight into the knowledgebase and views of parents when it comes to their children’s vaccines.
Focused solely on the Childhood Immunisation Schedule that is recommended and funded by the government, the research reveals:
- 95% of parents feel that the childhood immunisation schedule of vaccines for children is necessary in the fight to protect them and the community against harmful diseases
- Just 60% of pregnant mothers and mums of newborn babies feel well informed about the Childhood Immunisation Programme
- 35% of parents don’t know all of the illnesses their child has been vaccinated against
- 1 on 4 infant vaccine appointments were delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and parental concerns with over a third (35%) delayed by 1 month or more
- 1 in 5 parents are worried that their child was late to get their vaccines due to COVID-19
- 43% of parents feel it’s important to pay to get their child vaccinated against the chicken pox virus as it falls outside of the Childhood Immunisation Programme
- 82% of parents think that children should have to prove their child has been vaccinated in accordance with the Childhood Immunisation Schedule in order to attend ECCE and school
- 69% of parents say the pandemic has made them value the importance of their baby’s routine vaccines even more
As we wait for the development of a safe vaccine for COVID-19, Dr Rachel McLoughlin said:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has really helped to amplify the importance of vaccinations in the fight against the often devastating effects of potentially deadly infectious diseases. My work as a scientist to develop new ways to treat and prevent the spread of new infections makes it a no-brainer when it comes to getting my children vaccinated.
“Most recently, I navigated this journey with my youngest child on the immunisation schedule from two to 13 months. It struck me that not every parent had the same understanding of the diseases we protect our children, and in turn our community against. Knowledge really is power, which is why I felt compelled to find an engaging way to share my expertise by creating a series of videos for parents and their children.”
Laura Erskine, Parenting Expert with BabyDoc Club, added:
“The first year of baby’s life is so precious and can be overwhelming for parents at the same time. Their immune systems are still only developing, which is why it’s so important for parents to get their vaccines on time where possible. We’ve seen how a new virus can develop and reach world pandemic proportions in such a short time.
“Our childhood immunisation programme is free and protects not only our children, but also our children’s children and so on for generations to come.”