Paul Glynn | Contributing Writer
A new campaign has been launched to promote awareness of travel health and vaccinations among Irish people travelling abroad, with young people under the age of 25, including third-level students, as one of its target demographics.
The Healthy Travel Campaign, which was launched by travel writer Fionn Davenport on behalf of vaccine producers Sanofi Pasteur MSD, aims to educate Irish people about good travel health and the importance of vaccinations when visiting countries where there is a risk of contracting tropical diseases. While broadly aimed at travellers of all ages, the campaign will target college students and young people under the age of twenty-five as a key audience, as well as elderly people over the age of 65. The campaign has received support from the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and their Vice President for Welfare, Denise McCarthy.
“Younger travellers can often be disregarded as thrill-seekers who don’t focus on more serious travel preparations.”
Research undertaken for Sanofi Pasteur MSD showed that compared to other groups, young Irish people below under 25 are more likely to prioritise travel health. 37% of young people are more concerned about contracting tropical diseases abroad, compared to only 21% of people aged 65 and over. Similarly, 12% of under-25-year-olds consider travel vaccinations important, compared to 7% of over-65-year-olds.
Dr Jack Lambert, Consultant in Infectious Disease at the Mater and Rotunda Hospitals and University College Dublin, commented on the research, saying that “Younger travellers can often be disregarded as thrill-seekers who don’t focus on more serious travel preparations, but this research shows that they are the most conscious of the importance of vaccinations when travelling to exotic parts of the world.”
There is concern, however, that figures for prioritising vaccination are still low, a problem that the campaign aims to rectify. Dr Lambert added that: “The continued need for travel health vigilance and vaccination is highlighted by the fact that one in eight people know someone who has contracted a preventable tropical disease while abroad”, and that “it is essential that pre-travel advice is sought well in advance of a trip so that all medical needs and necessary preventative precautions are discussed with a healthcare professional, leaving enough time to prepare yourself before you travel.”
“One in eight people know someone who has contracted a preventable tropical disease while abroad.”
The research shows that despite the fact that one in eight Irish people know someone who has at some stage contracted a tropical disease, less than a quarter of Irish people who travelled to at-risk countries vaccinated against them. It was also shown that Irish people consider getting a pre-travel haircut to be a more important step in travel preparation than vaccination against tropical diseases, with 19% choosing the former as more important.
Davenport, who will be writing blogs for the campaign’s website, praised the campaign and highlighted the importance of practicing good travel health. “Travel can be the most exciting and wonderful experience,” he said, “but you need to make sure you are fully prepared so you can relax and enjoy your time away.”
The most common travel-related diseases vaccinated against by Irish people are typhoid fever, diphtheria, tetanus and Hepatitis types A and B. More details can be found at www.HealthyTravel.ie
