Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their submissions and particularly for sharing their personal experiences with us. The more I read about Lyme disease and the more I have heard about it through the awareness campaign that the witnesses are engaged in, the more confused I become about the actual process of diagnosis. Is it a very difficult disease to diagnose or is the problem a lack of understanding of the disease, whereby doctors here simply do not look for it in the first place? I ask the witnesses to elaborate on that issue because it seems to be central.

The witnesses spoke about educating general practitioners and clinicians in general and that must be done through awareness campaigns. We should also invite the Chief Medical Officer and others from the Department of Health to appear before this committee to determine their views on how we should address this issue. Indications are that because of the changing landscape, the increase in the numbers of people engaged in recreational pursuits in the countryside, through hill walking, for example, and the increase in the deer population, this disease will become more prevalent in the future. Figures from the United States and elsewhere suggest that the incidence of Lyme disease will increase.

Mr. Casey said that animals develop a form of immunity to Lyme disease. Is that correct?