Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2010
306 Deputy John O’Donoghue asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to help raise awareness of Lyme disease; the number of persons who have contracted this illness over the past five years on a county basis. [28440/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraLyme disease (also known as Lyme borelliosis) is an infection caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted to humans by bites from ticks infected with the bacteria. The infection is generally mild affecting only the skin, but can sometimes be more severe involving other organs. Ramblers, campers and those who work in such areas especially if they come into contact with large animals are at greatest risk of being bitten by ticks and of going on to develop the disease. A number of cases are diagnosed each year, but the true figure is unknown. However, research has determined that there are about 30 human cases per year in Ireland. In 2007, 71 specimens were confirmed positive for Lyme borreliosis, suggesting a crude incidence rate of 1.67 per 100,000 that year. A recent study in the west of Ireland at Galway University Hospital suggests that the disease incidence may be higher in the Galway area.
Lyme disease is not a notifiable infectious disease in Ireland. This means that there is no legal requirement on doctors to report cases to their local Director of Public Health, so this makes estimates of incidence difficult. However, the schedule of infectious diseases is reviewed on a periodic basis and inclusion of Lyme disease will be considered in the future.
A fact sheet on Lyme disease, developed by the Vectorborne Subcommittee of the Scientific Subcommittee of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), is available on their website (www.hpsc.ie) to provide members of the general public and media with advice on minimising the risk of Lyme disease and provides information on the prevention and treatment of the disease. This is currently being updated with a view to bringing increased awareness of the disease to the attention of those most at risk e.g. having the information available through the websites of Coillte, the Irish Farmers Association and Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and also Local Authorities. In addition, last Autumn an awareness raising article was placed in Epi-Insight, the HPSC disease surveillance report which is targeted at clinicians with a view to increasing awareness of the disease.
