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HRB funds new Vaccines Save Lives video campaign
A new series of videos including a rap from Professor of Immunology, Rachel McLoughlin in Trinity College Dublin has been launched to focus parents’ minds on the importance of continuing to vaccinate their children, especially during the pandemic.
The videos which were funded by the HRB are part of a Vaccines Saves lives campaign spearheaded by Rachel who is Professor in Immunology at Trinity College Dublin.
Taking her youngest daughter to get her scheduled vaccines in the midst of the COVID-19 world pandemic prompted Rachel to take a personal stance on the importance of protecting children from infectious diseases. Not one to miss an opportunity to educate, the Trinity College professor has included a fun rap video to appeal to people of all ages, to improve understanding of the far-reaching effects that a potentially deadly virus can have on our lives.
According to Mairéad O’Driscoll, Chief Executive at the Health Research Board,
‘For many people, research messages can be hard to understand, or difficult to relate to. In order to encourage researchers to share their findings in user-friendly way, the Health Research Board created a funding scheme designed specifically to help them do it. Rachel’s rap and educational videos are an excellent example of how you can share serious research messages in an engaging way.’
The videos are currently hosted on the Trinity College Dublin and HSE Ireland YouTube channels for viewing and sharing* online.
As we wait for the development of a safe vaccine for the coronavirus, Dr Rachel McLoughlin said:
'The COVID-19 pandemic has really helped to amplify the importance of vaccinations in the fight against the devastating effects of potentially deadly infectious diseases. My work as a scientist to develop new ways to treat and prevent the spread of new infections makes it a no-brainer when it comes to getting my children vaccinated. Most recently, I navigated this journey with my youngest child on the immunisation schedule from 2-months to 13-months. It struck me that not every parent had the same understanding of the diseases we protect our children, and in turn our community against. Knowledge really is power, which is why I felt compelled to find an engaging way to share my expertise by creating a series of videos for parents and their children.'
*If sharing the Kids Rap video, please turn comments off to protect the children featured from hate speech regarding vaccines.