Sport and Health are intrinsically linked so it makes perfect sense to play up sport as a reference point and use sports stars to promote the new ‘Flunited’ campaign from the Irish Patients Association.
New research has revealed that 4 in 10 parents hesitate to get their children the free winter flu vaccine, despite 1,274 children being hospitalised with the virus during the flu season last year.
The ‘Flunited’ campaign launched yesterday in Dublin with Mayo GAA star Aidan O’Shea is rallying parents and guardians to unite with the ‘Flunited’ team to combat the annual flu outbreak as a collective effort.
The campaign aims to highlight that for young children sometimes the consequences of flu can be serious and can lead to problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis).
The children’s flu vaccine, administered as a free nasal spray to of all children 2-12 and children aged 13-17 at high risk of flu, is accessible at local GPs, participating pharmacies, and, for the first time this year, in participating schools across the country.
“Children are twice as likely to catch flu as adults,” said Professor of Immunology Christine Loscher.
“Children with complications may need hospital treatment. Some may need intensive care. In the past 10 years in Ireland, almost 5,000 children were admitted to hospital with complications of flu. Almost 200 children had treatment in intensive care and 40 children died.”
Creating a strong a link as possible between the benefits of physical activity and good health in every age group has to be a key objective for sport and health authorities with the preventative impact creating huge mutual benefit for both and for the general public.
