Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
679. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he will meet with a delegation of persons who live with Lyme disease and who have much to offer in terms of informing policy and working on creating awareness of the disease for medical professionals and others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4502/22]
View answerLyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is an infection caused by bacteria known as Borrelia (B. burgdorferi, B. garinii and B. afzelii). It is a tick borne infection that occurs as a result of bites from an infected tick. Lyme disease is relatively rare in Ireland and it is estimated that a small proportion of ticks in Ireland are infected (less than 5%).
Lyme disease may be treated by Infectious Diseases specialists or by General Internal Medicine, available across all acute hospitals or by General Practitioners (GPs). The infection is known to be endemic in certain locations and in these areas the GPs are very familiar with the most typical presentation which is a rash, often with a bull’s eye appearance.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) is Ireland's specialist agency for the surveillance of communicable diseases. The HPSC is part of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and works in partnership with health service providers to provide the best possible information for the control and prevention of infectious diseases. The HPSC produces fact sheets for the general public on infectious diseases. The fact sheet on Lyme disease can be found here: www.hpsc.ie/az/vectorborne/lymedisease/factsheet/
My Department considers all requests for meetings that it receives and has previously met with groups that advocate for people who live with Lyme disease. My Department will continue to engage with stakeholders on this issue.
