Vol. 520 No. 5
123 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he is taking to ensure that there are no further related deaths in view of the fact that a number of people have died as a result of an unidentified illness related to heroin use; the current position in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16277/00]
A European, wide alert in relation to admission to hospitals in Glasgow of 20 injecting drug users in the two weeks ending 15 May was issued through the national disease surveillance centre in Dublin to the departments of public health in health boards. Nine of the 20 people died and others were admitted to intensive care units. The illnesses that were caused appeared to be related to injecting heroin into tissues which caused severe damage, with a rapid deterioration in health over a number of days, which developed into a septic shock syndrome.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority passed the information on to the chief executives of accident and emergency hospitals, for the attention of all staff, and to GPs. Staff are being asked to report back to the area health boards with any relevant information. In addition, notices have gone out to all drug treatment clinics, health centres, GPs and the general public advising drug users of the need for extreme care and vigilance as there may be contaminated heroin in circulation. A freephone helpline, operating 24 hours, seven days per week has been set up offering advice to heroin misusers and information and referral to treatment centres. The ERHA is also advising drug users who notice an adverse reaction to immediately seek help.
124 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of deaths here from illegal drug abuse in each of the years 1990, 1995, 1999 and to date in 2000. [16278/00]
Information on drug related deaths is collected by the Central Statistics Office for the general mortality register in accordance with guidelines developed by the World Health Organisation using international classification of diseases code 9, which includes deaths due to drug dependance and poisoning by opiates and other narcotics. In the past few years there has been ongoing discussion between the drugs misuse division of the Health Research Board, the Central Statistics Office and other relevant actors, and efforts have been made to improve the reliability of reports of drug related deaths. These deaths are based on death certificates which often give the main cause of death as a medical condition other than drug use, although drug use may have been implicated in the death. The drugs misuse research division is also working with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction – EMCDDA – to apply a new drug related deaths – DRD – standard definition which would include deaths from causes such as road traffic accidents where drug misuse was involved. The intention would be that this standard definition would be applied across EU member states and thus allow for the comparison of data. In addition, arising from a workshop which was held last August to discuss this issue I believe discussions are under way on the possibility of establishing a special register to record drug related deaths in Ireland.
Figures requested by the Deputy (applying the ICD 9 definition) are as follows:–
|
Year |
No. of deaths |
|
1990 |
7 |
|
1995 |
43 |
|
1999 |
80 (provisional figure) |
