Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2004
78 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Health and Children if, following reports that approximately 400,000 persons here suffer from asthma, he intends to introduce a national strategy for asthma sufferers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18435/04]
View answerMy Department is aware of reports of a rise in the number of persons suffering from asthma in this country. Conditions which may contribute to an increase in the prevalence of asthma include food allergies resulting in gastrointestinal symptoms and allergies to substances in the environment which may lead to a variety of skin conditions. 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.
The Deputy may wish to note that at the Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research) Council on 22 September 2003 the Council approved a directive regarding the labelling of the ingredients present in foodstuffs. In particular, the new labelling rules aim to ensure that consumers suffering from food allergies, or who wish to avoid eating certain ingredients for any other reason, are informed of the ingredients present. The new directive also establishes a list of ingredients liable to cause allergies or intolerances. The new rules will also extend to alcoholic beverages if they contain an ingredient on the allergens list.
The European Commission is currently developing an action plan on environment and health, which is expected to be adopted later this year. The plan is intended to reduce the disease burden caused by environmental factors in the EU with special emphasis on children, to identify and to prevent new health threats caused by environmental factors and to strengthen EU capacity for policy making in this area. Officials of my Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government are involved in this issue.
At the recent meeting of EU chief medical officers, the chief medical officer of my Department placed the issues of food and asthma on the agenda in order to share experiences, information and knowledge with our EU partners on these issues. 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 clarify some of the causative factors relating to these conditions and, more specifically, to identify contributing factors. Thus, preventative and treatment strategies can be more effectively developed and implemented.
