asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he is aware that a serious outbreak of typhoid fever has occurred in the Ballydavid district, County Kerry, and that serious inconvenience has been caused by the absence of adequate accommodation for fever patients in Dingle; and, if so, whether he will state what steps have been taken to cope with the present outbreak, and whether, in view of these grave circumstances, he will take special steps to expedite the erection of a fever hospital in Dingle.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Typhoid Fever in Kerry.
I am aware that a serious outbreak of typhoid fever has occurred in the Ballydavid district, County Kerry, involving 50 families and a total of 90 cases. I am not aware that serious inconvenience has been caused by the non-existence of a fever hospital at Dingle, and no complaint on that matter has been received. The district hospital at Dingle was made available for the reception of the fever patients to supplement the institutional accommodation at Tralee. Some further cases were admitted to the fever hospital at Killarney. The ambulance service was adequate and satisfactory.
The outbreak was dealt with by the county medical officer of health, the assistant county medical officer of health and the district medical officer of health. The latter officer was relieved of his ordinary duties for this special work. The Department's acting chief medical adviser and the medical inspector for the area cooperated with the local medical staff in coping with the outbreak, which appears to be well under control, only two cases having occurred since Thursday last, 8th instant. As regards the final part of the question a final decision has not yet been come to.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary also consider the necessity, seeing that the creamery has been shut, of compensating the people of this very poor district who have suffered losses as a result of this very serious outbreak? Does he not consider that the people of the district do suffer grave inconvenience if fever patients, members of a family, have to be sent a distance of anything from 60 to 70 miles to a fever hospital? Does he not consider that that may have to a certain extent contributed to the spread of the outbreak, people being reluctant to send patients so far? Further, seeing that the ordinary hospital in Dingle has been cleared to make room for fever patients, is that in itself not a hardship for that particular district? Can he explain the delay in coming to a decision on the question of the erection of a fever hospital in Dingle? Would he not consider the seriousness of the situation so far as Kerry is concerned owing to the absence of a fever hospital in Dingle and owing to the fact that the erection of the county fever hospital has, for some unexplained reason, also been so long delayed? Is he not aware that already attention has been drawn to the fact that grave inconvenience has been caused as a result of the absence of a fever hospital in Dingle and that he himself answered a question on that subject within the last fortnight or three weeks, when attention was drawn to it?
The Deputy has raised quite a number of supplementary questions, some of which do not, I think, arise out of the question on the Order Paper. For example, the question of consequential loss would scarcely arise out of the question of the provision of a fever hospital in Dingle. At any rate, for the information of the Deputy on that aspect of the situation, I should like to say that it is being actively examined and that, so far as my information goes, active steps have been taken already to ensure that any consequential distress arising out of the outbreak will be dealt with and is being dealt with.
By whom?
By the board of health.
By the local board of health?
Yes.
There is no help forthcoming from the central authority?
No.
Is there any prospect of help from the central authority?
That matter is being examined. Beyond that I cannot go at the moment. On the question of the hardship or inconvenience that the Deputy suggests has been caused by having no fever hospital in Dingle, I am fully satisfied that there was no hardship resulting to the patients by the fact that a fever hospital is not available in Dingle. The cases were removed to hospital, either to Dingle, where the local hospital was made available, to Tralee or to Killarney, as rapidly as the cases were notified and as soon as the patients were prepared to go There was no great reluctance shown by the patients to take advantage of institutional treatment. The Deputy will appreciate, I am sure, that an epidemic is an exceptional circumstance and that the question of establishing a fever hospital in Dingle will be determined on its merits without particular regard to the occurrence of the epidemic. Epidemics occur from time to time in various districts and a fever hospital is not provided in every district where an epidemic of fever occurs.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary not recognise the extraordinary distances that have to be travelled, and how hard that is on the families of the different patients? Will he not see that it is not a question of bringing Dingle people to Tralee or Killarney, but of bringing people who are almost as much west of Dingle, so far as communication is concerned, as Dingle is from Tralee, and that there will be a greater reluctance to notify when people know that the patients will have to be taken a long distance than there would be if the patients were treated in a place quite familiar to the people, namely, their own market town.