The Irish Patients Association (IPA) is launching the “Flunion” campaign to encourage parents to protect children and the wider community from the flu this winter. According to a recent Empathy Research survey, over half of Irish parents say their child missed school last year due to flu or flu-like symptoms, with one in five relying on grandparents for care. Yet, despite these impacts, 53% of parents still hesitate to get the free flu vaccine for their child, citing lack of time as a common reason.

The vaccine, administered as a quick and painless nasal spray, is available free at GPs and pharmacies for children ages 2-17. It offers effective protection, helping to reduce missed school days and GP visits due to flu. Almost half of parents worry that flu absences affect their child’s learning, while one in four report missed school activities. Additionally, unvaccinated children can spread flu to vulnerable relatives, increasing community health risks.

Dr. Lisa Cunningham, an emergency medicine consultant, emphasizes the importance of accessible vaccination, highlighting that “pharmacists are the cornerstone of community influenza vaccination for children, with appointments in many pharmacies and GPs offering this free service.” 

Stephen McMahon of the IPA adds that the Flunion campaign, supported by AstraZeneca, seeks to empower parents with the resources they need to protect children easily and effectively.

The IPA calls on parents to join the ‘Flunion’ and protect their children and communities this winter by availing of the simple nasal spray flu vaccine. For more information, visit www.irishpatients.ie.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients' Association said that the HSE and the Government have been led into an emergency response, due to the lack of preparation. He said that the Emergency Department Task Force set up in 2016 by then-minister for health Leo Varadkar provided a whole-of-organisation senior management response, with patient representatives on board too.

"It met as many as nine times in a year during Leo Varadkar’s tenure but has only met twice this year," Mr McMahon said. "Bed capacity is a big factor. Bed numbers are regularly announced and repackaged. There never seems to be a reconciled bed count."

Steven McMahon from the Irish Patients' Association is demanding answers from the HSE.

He told Newstalk: "The narrative from the HSE will be 'all this is a once-in-a-lifetime storm' ... No, we've had €23 billion invested in the system, and hundreds of millions put in to top up the system. And there's been very little accountability."

Stephen McMahon, of the Irish Patients’ Association, said the data appears to confirm that harm has been caused to patients during the current hospital overcrowding crisis. “Studies have shown that such events in Irish hospitals are under-reported by as much as a factor of two,” he said.

“While the number of adverse incidents may appear small, these numbers are likely to increase.

“We would encourage all healthcare professions to report adverse events as they are aware of them to the National Incident Management System.”

The Irish Patients' Association says better accountability is needed to deal with overcrowding. The association's Co-founder, Stephen McMahon, says the Emergency Department Taskforce should be meeting more regularly after only meeting twice in 2022.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients Association warned overcrowding “contributes to preventable deaths and injuries in our hospitals and communities”.