Jim O'Keeffe
Ceist:9 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the amount of Exchequer funding available for research into the cause, prevention and cure of AIDS.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - AIDS Research Funding.
At an international level, Ireland contributes to international research in relation to AIDS through our financial allocations to the EC and WHO. We also participate in the work of the EC's Centre on AIDS in Paris and the EC AIDS Research Committee. These committees endeavour to ensure that the EC member states, as far as possible, do not duplicate research projects.
At national level the Exchequer contributes, through the allocations to the health agencies and through the activities of the health promotion unit to on-going research on the prevention and treatment of AIDS-HIV. The Department have also made capital grants of £450,000 to the Virus Reference Laboratory, UCD, where HIV surveillance testing is carried out. At this time we are placing an emphasis on research in relation to the primary care of persons with HIV. Towards this end, during 1991 a total of £117,000 has been made available from the Exchequer to fund research projects, in this area, being conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and by the Health Research Board. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland project is based at Mercers Health Centre, Dublin 2, and is a project dealing with the care of HIV infected persons at primary care level. It provides a range of services, including the prescribing of early intervention medicines and the monitoring of the person's immune system. Formerly, these services were available only at secondary care level. Further Exchequer funding for this project will be made available as required. The Health Research Board project which will be carried out by a new research unit will conduct research into opportunistic infection in AIDS, with particular reference to such infection in the oral cavities, as the early manifestations of the HIV virus occur in oral cavities. The board is providing £50,000 per annum towards this project and, subject to satisfactory review after three years, may provide a total of £250,000 towards the project.
In addition to the Exchequer funded research projects listed above the following on-going reseach projects are funded from lottery sources. A total of £30,000 has been granted to the AIDS Fund to conduct research into cases of paediatric AIDS. This is continuing. The Eastern Health Board Outreach project which is aimed at controlling the transmission of the HIV virus both within the intravenous drug abusing population and from this group to the wider community contains a research element. This is designed to evaluate the effects of risk infection services on the prevalence and incidence of HIV among this group. Since 1988 lottery funding of £300,000 has been provided for the project, which is centred on the AIDS resource centre at Baggot Street.
If the Minister is concentrating on research into primary care would he not agree that it is very poor that there is virtually no care and facilities outside Dublin for persons with AIDS? There are no respite care beds available and there is no acute hospital care available. Bearing in mind that in the past 12 months there has been a 35 per cent increase in the number of persons with AIDS — 183 per cent increase among the heterosexual community — is it not now time that the Minister established a dedicated budget to deal with the AIDS crisis right across the country and deliver primary care on the ground?
It is very unfair of the Deputy to suggest that there is no acute hospital care outside of Dublin for patients suffering from AIDS. That is most unreasonable. There are excellent physicians in all our hospitals across the country who are quite competent to manage patients suffering from AIDS and HIV infections. It is well recognised now that patients suffering from AIDS should be treated in the same way as patients suffering from other serious infectious diseases in the community by their family doctor and in general hospitals and, in specific areas, in a tertiary referral hospital. It is unfair to say that there is not an acute hospital service available outside of Dublin.
The Minister has not read the report.
On the question of the increasing number of persons with AIDS, that has to be a matter of concern to all of us. The number of persons suffering from AIDS is increasing in this country and of course, as the Deputy appreciates these people would have been infected with AIDS a number of years ago. The incubation period for AIDS is anything between eight to ten years. Nevertheless we are concerned to ensure that we contain the spread of AIDS. The Government have taken all the appropriate measures. I am glad to say, as I have said in this House before, that we are taking exactly the same measures as all other developed countries to combat the problem.
The Minister will share the concern of Members at the apparent increase in AIDS and the spread of the disease in the heterosexual community. The number of deaths from AIDS in the heterosexual community has increased from nine in 1990 to 17 in 1991, almost a 100 per cent increase. Would the Minister not agree that as over 81 people have died from AIDS, the number of HIV-positive patients in the community in addition to those who have the undetected virus will require increased spending on public education and awareness in addition to increased spending on care and support for the victims of HIV? Given the growth in the number of AIDS and HIV positive cases, will the Minister outline the plans he has to cater for this increasing number of people who will require care?
Is the Minister aware that the dental profession have expressed concern at the increasing number of AIDS and HIV patients as they believe they are handling at least four cases per week of persons with the undetected HIV virus?
I have to dissuade the Deputy from making a speech.
There is a number of questions. First, the number of patients suffering from AIDS in this country is 216, and of those 18 are heterosexual. The number of people who have died to date, that is up to 21 October, 1991 is 92 of whom six were heterosexual. It is important to be accurate in our figures.
As I have said, we are all concerned about AIDS. AIDS is the major public health issue facing all countries in the world at present. In some countries the problem is more serious than others. Of course, we have taken our responsibility very seriously. We had a major public information campaign and following its evaluation, it was found that the vast majority of the Irish people know how AIDS is contacted and how it is avoided. Nevertheless we are presently preparing a further public information programme for the benefit of the public.
We thought it was very important that we target two specific groups in this country: first those leaving school, and second, intravenous drug users. In relation to the first target group, we had the directors of community care for each area go into the schools and give the necessary information to the pupils. At the same time my colleague, the Minister for Education, and I were preparing an AIDS education programme for schools. This programme has been very well received not alone in this country but by others from outside the country who have seen it. That programme is in place in the schools around the country.
The second group we targeted was the intravenous drug abusers because as Members know 60 per cent of the people who are HIV positive are intravenous drug abusers. The spread of the disease to the heterosexual population came in the main through intravenous drug abusers. We have targeted that specific group. As the House knows, a public information programme is not so effective with that group, perhaps because they do not receive the information through the electronic media or the printed media, and for that reason the outreach programme was adopted by the Eastern Health Board.
Deputy Byrne raised a point in relation to the dental service. As I said in reply to the original question, money is being spent by the Health Research Board on a research programme into the incidence of HIV presented through the mouth and the area with which the dentists work.
In relation to the research being undertaken, will the Minister indicate whether he has made a decision on the suggestion by his adviser for random testing at accident and emergency departments of the general hospitals in order to gain an idea of the scale of the spread of the HIV virus, which, as the Minister rightly said, is the lead indicator of the problem?
No decision has been made in regard to the accident and emergency services. What has been discussed is the possibility of such a test in one of the maternity hospitals. I shall communicate to the Deputy the up-to-date position in that regard.
In view of the Minister's statement to the House today about the number of HIV positive cases and the increase thereof, particularly among the heterosexual population, would he not consider it appropriate to advise the Family Solidarity movement of those figures, because their lobby to all Members contradicts the Minister's view in this matter, especially in regard to proposed legislation?