Press Release Issued by Schooldays.ie on Swine Flu Survey Results to 18th August 2009

As the count down to the new school year begins, survey results issued today by Schooldays.ie indicates that despite concerns about the spread of swine flu, the majority of parents (85%) will send their children to school as normal when the schools re-open in a few weeks time. A further 8% indicated that while they would send their children to school, they would withhold a child with an underlying medical problem. However 7% of parents indicated that they did not intend to send their children to school in September due to their concerns about the spread of swine flu.

Although the majority of parents indicated that they would send their children to school as normal if the schools re-opened, surprisingly a quarter (25%) of parents surveyed, felt that the Department of Education should keep primary and secondary schools closed at the beginning of the school year to help prevent the spread of swine flu. When asked to indicate how long they felt schools should remain closed, the majority of the 25% responded that the schools should remain closed until the vaccine was available and widely administered. Some parents felt that schools should delay opening for a couple of weeks as so many children would be returning from holidays abroad immediately before schools re-open which could encourage the spread of swine flu. A small number of parents felt schools should remain closed indefinitely until the swine flu epidemic has peaked.

On the issue of vaccination of their children, 43% of parents responded that they would seek the vaccination for all their children as soon as it became available with a further 19% advising that they would only seek the vaccine for a child with an underlying medical condition. The remaining 38% of parents indicated that they would not be availing of the vaccine for any of their children. 23% of these advised that they would not seek the vaccine because of concerns about whether the vaccine was safe. The remaining 15% felt that overall that it was not necessary to vaccinate against the flu as it represented only a low threat.

In commenting on the results, Annemarie Wade, Managing Director of Schooldays.ie, noted that while there is concern out there amongst parents about the spread of swine flu to children when schools re-open, most parents do not appear to feel that the flu is of a sufficient threat to their children’s health to merit closing schools or keeping healthy children at home. However it is clear that parents of children with underlying medical conditions are considerably more anxious facing into the forthcoming school year.

Schooldays.ie are keeping the survey open online to monitor if the opinions of parents change as the beginning of the school year comes closer. Updated results will be published on their website.

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