Written Answers. - TB Incidence.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:
55
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the number of reported cases of tuberculosis in each of the past ten years; the extent to which research into the possible causes of infection has been carried out given the pre cautions already in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6003/01]
The number of cases of tuberculosis reported in each of the past ten years is as follows:
|
1991
|
640
|
|
1992
|
604
|
|
1993
|
598
|
|
1994
|
524
|
|
1995
|
458
|
|
1996
|
434
|
|
1997
|
416
|
|
1998
|
424
|
|
1999
|
469*
|
|
2000
|
416 (Provisional)
|
*The figure for 1999 has recently been revised upwards by 12 additional cases by the National Disease Surveillance Centre following receipt of additional cases from the Western Health Board.
The Health Act, 1947, and the Infectious Diseases Regulations, 1981, provide the legislative basis for the control of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, in Ireland. The control of infectious diseases is a matter, in the first instance, for the health boards.
The Report of the Working Party on Tuberculosis, which had been established to evaluate policy on the prevention and treatment of the disease in Ireland and to make appropriate recommendations, was published in 1996. The report made recommendations for the prevention and treatment of the disease. The recommendations covered a range of issues including epidemiology, surveillance, screening, preventative therapy, clinical management and laboratory diagnosis. As recommended in the report, a permanent committee, the National Tuberculosis Committee, was established to advise on a detailed national strategy for the control and management of tuberculosis and it is developing such a strategy at present. It continues to keep under review all issues concerning the control and management of tuberculosis.
The development of the National Disease Surveillance Centre, which was established in 1998, will enable a much improved level of surveillance of infectious disease in Ireland and the centre will assist in the continued development of strategies to control communicable diseases. Tuberculosis is one of the priority communicable diseases under surveillance by the National Disease Surveillance Centre at present. In January 2000, the National Disease Surveillance Centre produced a Report on the Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Ireland, 1998. This was the first time that national data describing in detail the epidemiology of tuberculosis had been presented. The National Disease Surveillance Centre will shortly produce a national TB report in respect of 1999. The detailed surveillance being undertaken by the National Disease Surveillance Centre in relation to tuberculosis will enable strategies to combat the disease to be optimised through monitoring and feedback of information about trends in incidence; identification of high risk groups/risk factors; prompt recognition of and investigation of incidents and clusters of cases; monitoring of the effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment nationally; morbidity and transmission of infection to be minimised by early diagnosis and effective treatment; the reduction of avoidable mortality and prevent the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
