Institute of Public Health in Ireland report:IMMUNISATION RATES for children in Northern Ireland are significantly higher than in the Republic, according to a new study by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland.
It found that the 97 per cent of children in the North had been immunised compared to 90 per cent in the Republic.
Waterford had the lowest rates (85 per cent), followed by Kildare, Wicklow (both 86 per cent) and Dublin (87 per cent). In contrast, rates in Northern Ireland ranged between 94 per cent (Dungannon) and 99 per cent (Larne).
The report suggests the differences may be linked to the sustained efforts of vaccination schemes by public health services in certain parts of the country.
The figures in the Institute of Public Health in Ireland report also contain detailed health information across a range of categories such as life expectancy and cancer rates.
Roscommon has the highest life expectancy for men and women in the Republic. Life expectancy at birth in the county is 78.1 years for men and 82.4 years for women. This compares to a national average of 75.6 years for males and 80.6 years for females.
Leitrim has the lowest life expectancy for males at 72.8 years while Limerick has the lowest life expectancy for females at 79.3 years.
The new study marks the first time that male and female life expectancy has been made available at county level in the Republic.
The report consists of two data sets which include 60 health-related indicators that are available for every county in the Republic and every local government district in the North.
The institute said that regional comparisons could help guide national and local efforts to improve health and reduce inequalities by identifying local needs, and assisting with planning and delivering of health and social services.
The all-Ireland life expectancy is 75.6 years for males and 80.6 years for females.
Life expectancy in general is better in Northern Ireland. Ballymoney has the highest life expectancy for both men and women across the whole island with rates of 78.1 for men and 82.4 years for women. In contrast, no county in the Republic has a male life expectancy above 78 years.
The report also suggests that females living along the western seaboard have higher life expectancies than in other regions on the island.
These differences, the report suggests, may be due to variations in lifestyle or access to quality health and social services.
The standardised premature death rate (or deaths below the age of 75) in the Republic and in Northern Ireland are 325 and 348 per 100,000 persons respectively.
The highest premature death rate in the Republic is in Louth, while in the North the highest premature death rate is in Belfast.
The figures indicate that during the years 2001-2004, the suicide rate was 47 per cent higher in the Republic than in Northern Ireland. However, the institute said contrasting rates may be partly due to different methods used in collecting information in the two jurisdictions.
Offaly has the highest rate of suicide in the country (61 per cent above the average for the island as a whole), while Roscommon has the lowest.
In general, the all-island rate of suicide is similar to that of the newly enlarged EU.