Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 March 2022
324. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if his Department will recognise a diagnosis of Lyme's disease after a person has been tested in another country such as Germany or the United States of America (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12167/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraLyme Disease is a tick-borne infection that occurs when recreational or occupation activities result in tick bites from an infected tick. It is relatively rare with estimations that a small proportion of ticks in Ireland are infected.
The infection is known to be endemic in certain locations and in these areas GPs are very familiar with the most typical presentation which is a rash, often with a bull’s eye appearance. In this setting early treatment can be initiated by the GP and further testing is not required or recommended. More complicated cases require referral to Infectious Diseases clinics, which are currently present in all but one level 4 and all but two level 3 hospitals in Ireland. There is no need for Irish residents to travel to other countries for diagnosis or treatment.
The Infectious Diseases clinical program, which has been in place for one year, has a workforce strategy to establish a network of Infectious Diseases clinics that will address any current geographic inequity. The publicly funded Infectious Diseases clinics all support the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines regarding the diagnoses and treatment of Lyme disease. These clinics do not currently have waiting lists and patients are seen in a timely manner. Many hospital laboratories have the capacity to do Lyme serology (ELISA) locally and where not, referral of samples to the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) occurs. Confirmatory testing (western Blot) is referred to Porton Down which is the referral laboratory for the UK.
