Vol. 431 No. 8
58 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if progress is being made in the investigation of cot deaths; and whether further steps might be taken to establish and promote definitive preventative measures to minimise the incidence of these deaths.
Sudden infant death is an international problem and Irish steps taken against it must be seen in this context. My Department is currently funding a three year register which will record all instances of sudden infant death in Ireland. The register is being run by the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association (ISIDA) and it is hoped that it will supply useful data on the occurrence of sudden infant death in Ireland. The register was notified of 59 sudden infant deaths in 1992; a drop of 32 per cent on the previous year's figure.
The report stresses that interpretation of data for a single year must be treated with caution. However, the awareness campaign highlighting the risk factors associated with sudden infant death, run by my Department's health promotion unit in association with the ISIDA may have been a significant factor in the overall reduction of the sudden infant death rate during 1992.
