Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 5 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 3

Written Answers. - Contagious Diseases Tests.

John Bruton

Question:

164 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will identify all the laboratories here that have the facilities to test stool cultures of patients suspected of E. coli 0157 infection; and the procedure in place to ensure that a possible outbreak of E. coli 0157 here is speedily identified and that the relevant warnings are issued in this regard. [20632/01]

Laboratory testing for the presence of E. coli is carried out in the public health laboratories of the health boards. Most of the clinical laboratories in our large hospitals have the capability of testing stool samples for E. coli 0157. While some laboratories test all stools sent in by clinicians, others test only those which are clinically indicated or that are on special request or are samples from children.

In Ireland there is no statutory requirement to notify cases of E. coli 0157. However, the National Disease Surveillance Centre, NDSC, have an enhanced surveillance system in place since 1999. Specialists in public health medicine and area medical officers participate in this system whereby a standard set of information is collected on each case identified, to monitor all cases of E. coli 0157. The information collected includes data on age and sex, clinical data, possible risk factors, and information on possible links between cases. An initial notification is made to the NDSC on the date of the notification of the case to the health board and follow up information is returned when available. An informal system of notification is also in place where specialists in public health medicine report to the NDSC and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, of outbreaks of gastro-enteritis and other infectious intestinal diseases. All outbreaks of foodborne illness are investigated, including suspect VTEC outbreaks that are reported to the FSAI and the NDSC. In an outbreak, specialists in public health medicine convene multidisciplinary outbreak control teams to investigate the outbreak and control the source. If suspect food is identified a traceback will be conducted which may result in a food alert or a public alert being issued, or arranging a product recall, as appropriate.

Ireland does not have a national reference laboratory facility for confirmation of verocytotoxin production, or definitive typing of VTEC, and suspect isolates of VTEC must be sent to the public health laboratory service, Colindale, U.K., for phage typing and confirmatory identification.

The Food Safety Promotion Board, one of the six North-South implementation bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement, will have a general remit to promote scientific co-operation and links between laboratories, the development of cost-effective facilities for specialised laboratory testing.

Question No. 165 answered with Question No. 159.
Top
Share