Published: Friday, 16th October, 2009 9:00am

75% will get swine flu vaccine - survey

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Fashion & Lifestyle

A HSE nationwide survey has found that three out of four people (75%) intend getting the swine flu vaccine when the national vaccination programme gets underway.

Key findings of the report show that half of the adult population is worried about themselves or a family member contracting swine flu.

The survey, which took place in late July and early August, found that public awareness of the pandemic flu was very high across the country, with 78% of those surveyed saying they would recommend their family members to get the vaccine when it becomes widely available.

The Millward Brown Lansdowne nationwide survey found that public awareness of swine flu is very high across the country, with 78% of those surveyed saying they would recommend their family members to get the vaccine when it becomes widely available.

An overwhelming majority, some 91%, of those surveyed agree that the HSE should vaccinate people with chronic illnesses and frontline healthcare staff against the virus first.

While the survey showed a high level of knowledge among the public, more information was needed around what people should do if they think they have swine flu. According to poll the majority, some 55%, say they would go to their GP and 6% to their A&E department, however the best advice is to phone your doctor first, chosen by only 37% who responded to the poll. Most people will not need to present to their doctor or hospital as in the majority of cases the illness is mild to moderate and people will recover at home as with seasonal flu.

The survey found that 53% of respondents feel the swine flu virus will pose a serious challenge to Irish society in the areas of business, education and healthcare. The poll also found that while 50% are worried that they or a family member will contract the flu some 40% are not worried.

Dr Paul Connors, National Director of the Communications with the HSE pointed out: "Since the pandemic began in April, we have been seeking to inform the public of the symptoms swine flu and the steps they can take to protect their family and friends.

"We want to ensure that people know what to do if they are concerned that they or a family member may have the illness and this research helps us understand how the public is responding to our public information messages and identify where there are gaps which in turn informs our future public information campaigns. Since this survey was undertaken, we have initiated a major public information campaign, with a range of resources available for people to get advice on the flu. We expect that in the next run of this survey, the impact of that campaign on public awareness will be measurable."

Planning for a mass vaccination programme is currently underway and will be a serious undertaking for the healthcare services in this country. There has never been a mass vaccination campaign on this scale in Ireland before and it is likely to take between 6 to 12 months to complete but this will be affected by the delivery schedule of the vaccines which has yet to be confirmed.