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Fri, 09 Feb, 2024 - 01:00

There have been nine suspected cases of measles in children under the age of 10 in the first five weeks of this year, as well as one confirmed case in a Co Westmeath man who has died.

These figures are deeply concerning, coming the month after the World Health Organisation flagged its concerns with the uptake of vaccinations in Ireland, describing our performance in that regard as sub-optimal.

The drop in the number of vaccinations, which primarily relates to small children, and the adult death announced this week moved the Tánaiste Micheál Martin to say that we need to tackle the scourge of anti-vaccination misinformation.

Vaccinations are a central pillar in our healthcare system and there is no good reason to avoid being vaccinated.

It is an indication of the sheer levels of ignorance and misinformation with which we must now contend that there are any doubts expressed, let alone entertained, about the value of vaccinations. If previous generations were privy to the willingness of many people now to be duped into withholding vaccinations from their families they would be horrified beyond belief. Not only are those people placing their own families at risk, they are endangering others needlessly, a stark reversal of any notion of communal good.

The scientific achievement encapsulated in successful vaccines cannot be overstated. Diseases which destroyed families in past decades are now easily avoided through vaccinations which were seen as miraculous when first introduced.

That is no exaggeration: When Jonas Salk confirmed that he had found a vaccine for polio in 1953, church bells rang out across the US and factories paused production to spread the news among their workers.

The wild conspiracy theories circulated about vaccines in recent years are often promoted by people claiming to have 'done their own research', a phrase which has now become synonymous with paranoia and extremism. There can be no engagement or discussion, however, with people presenting crackpot notions as scientific fact, when the scientific facts present one simple option: Get vaccinated.

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It's up to us to make cities work

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan confirmed plans to remove cars from parts of Dublin City centre earlier this week, stating those plans would be in place by August.

It is proposed that under these plans motorists would be restricted from accessing parts of the north and south quays in the city centre, while College Green itself would be turned into a pedestrianised plaza. The emphasis appears to be on removing ‘through’ traffic from the city centre in an effort to reduce congestion and cut down on harmful emissions.

Already, questions are being asked about the precise mechanism which will determine whether cars are going ‘through’ the city or not. Clarity will also be sought on how accessing facilities such as the proposed new national children’s hospital will be affected by these plans.

The situation will be watched closely by officials in charge of other urban areas around the country with a view to installing similar regimes: Cork and Galway in particular have a long history of traffic congestion and may take a particular interest in the progress of this scheme.

In the short term, a certain amount of inconvenience beckons for drivers in and around the capital when these proposals come into force. They are likely to be accepted more willingly if accompanied by clear and consistent enforcement of restrictions on car movement, not to mention reliable and well-resourced public transport options to take up the slack. If the proposals are introduced without such supporting measures, then it is difficult to see them succeeding.

They will also need the commitment and support of the public. If drivers cannot travel ‘through’ Dublin, significant changes in behaviour will be required to make journeys across the city — hence the inconvenience mentioned earlier.

The benefits to the community as a whole are obvious. They range from less traffic to cleaner air, but for those benefits to accrue to everyone, everyone must make a change in their behaviour. That is a challenge for all.

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Business leaders face up to challenges

The Cork Chamber Annual Dinner is being held tonight at Cork City Hall, a celebration of businesses and organisations in the deep south.

The evening is surely a welcome relief, even just for one night, from the unrelenting pressure faced by many businesses right now. Every week seems to bring news of yet another closure, with small- to medium-sized concerns specifically in the firing line. The challenges facing businesses now range from inflation to supply chain issues, from recruitment and retention to Brexit.

In that context, it seems appropriate to wish all businesses well in these difficult times, but a more co-ordinated approach from the various stakeholders would offer more concrete support. The Government could be more proactive in offering real aid to those small- to medium-sized businesses mentioned in the form of supports related to the minimum wage and associated costs.

By the same token, employers which do not put employees at the heart of their businesses should also be held to account: The principle of fairness works both ways.

Balancing a variety of challenges is not a recent development, but something businesses have faced for centuries. However, a wider awareness of the scale of those challenges would be beneficial to the contemporary business — not least in motivating consumers to support businesses rooted in their communities as opposed to faceless behemoths.

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