Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2004
259 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to a recent survey contained in a newspaper showing that Ireland has a very high rate of children with allergies; if he can state the steps he intends to take to deal with this serious problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5182/04]
View answerMy Department has been aware in recent years of a number of references both in the general media and in the medical literature to an increase in the prevalence of conditions which may be related to allergies. These conditions affect a number of systems such as food allergies resulting in gastrointestinal symptoms, allergies to substances in the environment which may lead to a variety of skin conditions, and the one which has been most widely researched and reported, that of an apparent increase in the prevalence of asthma in both children and adults.
Some of these phenomena may be explained by more sophisticated diagnostic and investigative techniques which allow for the more frequent identification of conditions whose pathology and causation were previously unknown. However, it is generally accepted, not only in Ireland but in the western world in general, that there appears to have been a real increase in the incidence of asthma which is not solely explained by reference per diagnostic techniques. This was confirmed in a study which was carried out on asthma in Ireland by Allen and Hanburys in conjunction with the Asthma Society in 2001. This research extended a previous study which was carried out in seven countries in Europe in 1999 which confirmed that among the European Union countries, there are also variations in asthma prevalence.
It is accepted that some of the factors which may influence this situation include environmental factors, not only smoking and workplace exposure to respiratory irritants, but a more general level of exposure to environmental substances which cause allergies to occur. At the forthcoming meeting of European Union chief medical officers, the chief medical officer of my Department has placed the issues of food and asthma on the agenda so that we can share experiences, information and knowledge with our EU partners on this issue.
In addition, my Department has contacted the health research board to discuss the issue of research into the incidence of asthma in the Irish population and the establishment of an asthma register is under discussion between professionals dealing with asthma and the ERHA. These initiatives should help to elucidate more clearly some of the causative factors relating to these conditions and, more specifically, to identify factors which contribute to the allergic component of this and other conditions. Thus, preventive and treatment strategies can be more effectively developed and implemented.
