The Health Minister said that it would be 'good for business' if social media companies join the fight to stop the spread of vaccine misinformation.
Simon Harris launched the Vaccine Alliance today, which will aim to boost the uptake of childhood vaccinations.
The new alliance includes healthcare professionals, policy makers and advocacy groups.
The Minister for Health has launched the #vaccinealliance aimed at improving vaccination rates and reducing vaccine hesitancy. pic.twitter.com/UXmkuEJcXV
— Kim Buckley (@KiiimBuckley) September 10, 2019
Minister Harris is due to meet with social media companies soon to discuss their efforts in fighting vaccine misinformation.
Speaking today, he said he believes it would be in their interest to combat 'fake news'.
He argued: "I think it's good for their business - I'm going to be having a discussion with them about how I think this is good for public health, but I also think it's good business sense as well.
"More and more questions are being asked about information and how we tackle misinformation.
"I think those companies that do [take action] will be rewarded by the public."
Facebook has recently started rolling out a number of measures to combat vaccine misinformation - including reducing the ranking of pages and rejecting ads that spread such misinformation.
Measles-free status
Minister Harris also pointed out that Ireland's measles-free status is at risk if parents stop vaccinating their children.
There have been over 1,000 cases of mumps and 56 cases of measles so far this year.
Four European countries - including the UK - have recently lost their measles eradication status amid warnings from the WHO that Europe is "losing ground" in its efforts to eliminate the disease.
Minister Harris added: "I think we need to be worried about the uptake of the MMR vaccine in general.
"We do need to continue - all of us - to keep Ireland's measles-free status, but also just to keep our kids safe."
