More than half of parents didn't get flu vaccine for children last year

The findings from 1,062 people show 53% of those surveyed revealing they hesitated to get their children the winter flu vaccine in the last year. 

Hesitancy around children’s flu vaccines is on the rise with over half of parents saying they did not get their child inoculated against this common winter illness last year.

This is despite 55% of parents saying their children missed time at school last winter due to the flu or flu-like illnesses, new research carried out for the Irish Patients Association (IPA) shows.

This affected their education and put pressure on families, with one in five parents relying more on grandparents to look after the children while ill.

The findings from 1,062 people show 53% of those surveyed revealing they hesitated to get their children the winter flu vaccine in the last year. 

This has increased from survey results in 2023, which found that 44% hesitated to get the vaccine, the IPA said.

A key factor was time constraints with 17% of parents saying they simply did not have time to arrange the vaccinations.

Dr Lisa Cunningham, consultant in Emergency Medicine and Prehospital Doctor, encouraged parents to consider the nasal spray flu vaccine for their children.

“It’s encouraging to see that there is an increased awareness among parents as to the seriousness of the influenza virus, including the complications it can cause,” she said.

“What we would encourage is for parents to avail of the many opportunities to get the influenza nasal spray protection.” 

The vaccines are available through some schools, pharmacies, and GPs, she said. It is free for children aged two to 17.

Stephen McMahon, Irish Patients' Association spokesman, said: “The research shows that families are greatly impacted by flu and flu like conditions and that's an issue for parents when it comes to vaccination is time constraints.”