Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 July 2017
198. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason health authorities here are in disagreement with their counterparts in Northern Ireland, the UK and in several other EU countries regarding the public health risks posed by gulls. [31703/17]
View answer199. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that health authorities here and those in Northern Ireland disagree in respect of the public health risks posed by gulls; the other areas of public health on which the HSE does not agree with its counterpart in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31704/17]
View answer200. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that a large number of EU countries (details supplied) have determined that gulls pose a public health threat and have been acting on this threat in some cases for years now. [31705/17]
View answer201. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the conclusion of studies and publications (details supplied) that gulls can be directly associated with anti-microbial resistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31706/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 198 to 201, inclusive, together.
The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has previously considered the evidence pertaining to gulls and potential health risks. A number of scientific studies have looked at the specific issue of human disease and gulls (from the early 1980s on; the most recent in 2005). While there is some evidence that wild birds (including gulls) may transmit salmonella to animal feed and drinking water and by this mechanism potentially lead to human infection, the evidence for this in each instance was considered weak. Studies that have looked at the likelihood of direct spread of salmonella from gulls to humans conclude that gulls as carriers of Salmonella constitute little health hazard to human health concluding that there is only a low risk of transmitting Salmonella from either gulls or feed factories they may contaminate to humans or domestic animals.
The HPSC gathers information on the causes of outbreaks of infectious disease and for individual cases of infectious disease it collects information on individual risk factors (i.e. those factors known to contribute to disease development but not necessarily proven in the particular case being examined). A look back for the last ten years by the HPSC indicates that out of 25,000 reported cases of campylobacter and 3,500 cases of salmonella there have been three cases of salmonellosis that could be explained by bird contact (two of these were pet birds) and two cases of campylobacter, one of which mentioned proximity to gulls. This means an association but does not mean that birds caused the disease.
In recognition of the serious and increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance and the requirement for a ‘whole of Government’ approach to health issues, the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) established a high level National Interdepartmental AMR Consultative Committee to address this issue. The Committee meets Ireland’s requirements to have an Intersectoral co-ordination mechanism for addressing AMR at the European level.
As well as work on enhancing surveillance between the health and agriculture sectors, the Committee’s work in 2017 has overseen the development of Ireland’s first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020. This ambitious 3-year Plan has been jointly prepared by the two Departments in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders and covers the use of antimicrobial medicines in animal health and agriculture, as well as human health. Following the World Health Organisation's Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2015), which requires all countries to have a national action plan in place by mid-2017, Ireland's draft Plan lists Strategic Interventions and Activities, responsible bodies and priority rankings of timelines for implementation.
It is intended that a Memorandum for the Government on the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020 will be submitted this week to Cabinet seeking its approval and publication. Subject to approval of the National Action Plan, an implementation plan will be developed separately which will address means of tackling antimicrobial resistance as appropriate to each sector.
It would be inappropriate for me to comment on public health risks in other EU Member States.
