Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I thank Ms Sloan for sharing her experience with us at what, I am sure, is a really difficult time for her, her family and her daughter's friends and her school friends. Something which struck me, as a mother, was that Ms Sloan said she did not know Emma's allergy was fatal. I would like to ask the two physicians present about the screening process in terms of nut allergies among children. We all know that when babies are born, they are screened with the heel prick test, and the blood test done to see if a particular condition is present. How can we inform ourselves, as parents, of the kind of risk? Are particular groups more at risk than others? A comment was made about hay fever and how it is rampant at the moment. Are people with asthma and hay fever sufferers more likely to be allergic to nuts or shellfish? Is there something we can do in terms of screening when children present to public health nurses for their routine checks?

If a child, a young person or an adult is diagnosed as having a nut allergy, how is it explained to his or her parents or to him or her? Does he or she actually know what it means? I have a young daughter who goes away with various groups. They all give out that they cannot have Nutella but one of the children has a nut allergy. They are aware of it but I am not sure everybody would be. How is it explained to the parents or to the young person? Are they aware of how sudden the onset can be and how to react to it? I refer to the bracelets people wear, or do not wear. How common is it for people who have a diagnosis not to wear the bracelet? That is significant also.

A comment was made about the legislation, the pilot project run in UCC and the distribution of the morning after pill by pharmacists, that this would be covered in the same way, that a prescription could be written and that the public could access it. Will the witnesses talk a little bit more about that?