Jim Higgins
Ceist:215 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people who have died as a result of drug addiction in each of the years 1997, 1998, 1999 and to date in 2000. [16646/00]
Written Answers. - Drug Addiction Fatalities.
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 dependence 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 to apply a new drug related deaths 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 |
|
1997 |
55 |
|
1998 |
99 |
|
1999 |
80 |
These figures should be regarded as provisional at this stage, particularly the 1999 figure as further validation may still need to be carried out.
We also know that between April and the end of May 2000 the ERHA received notifications of 19 heroin related deaths from the City and County Coroner's Office. This information was received in the context of the ERHA's investigation into deaths of heroin misusers with evidence of severe inflammatory process. We are uncertain, however whether these cases fit into the ICD 9 definition.