Vol. 519 No. 6
34 Mrs. Barnes asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the necessary action to tackle the measles epidemic in Dublin has not been taken; and the initiatives to be taken by him in the coming weeks in this regard. [14480/00]
153 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the necessary action to tackle the measles epidemic in Dublin has not been taken; and the initiatives to be taken by him in the coming weeks. [14479/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 153 together.
The health boards have statutory responsibility for the control and prevention of infectious diseases, including measles, under the provisions of the Health Acts 1947 and 1953 and the Infectious Diseases Regulations, 1981. The Eastern Regional Health Authority has indicated to my Department that up to 19 May there have been 804 cases of measles in its area of responsibility.
The situation is a cause for concern and the ERHA has indicated that a range of control measures have been implemented. An outbreak control group has been set up and this has met on a regular basis and has recommended a range of control measures to be put in place in the affected areas. General practitioners have been alerted to the situation and asked to ensure that all children of appropriate age are vaccinated. Special vaccination clinics have been established in the affected districts and, also in these areas, for the duration of the outbreak, the age at which children may receive their first MMR vaccination has been reduced from 15 months to six months. Information has also been promulgated through the media about the risks associated with measles infection and the advisability of immunisation. The situation is being monitored by the ERHA on an ongoing basis.
While the current outbreak has so far been concentrated in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area, since MMR uptake in all health board regions is below 95%, there is a risk that outbreaks will occur elsewhere also. My Department has recently written again to the health boards, stressing the importance of achieving high immunisation rates to prevent the further transmission of measles infection. I strongly urge parents in all areas of the country to ensure that their children receive the MMR vaccine, which is available free of charge from their family doctor. This will ensure that individual children and the population generally have maximum protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
