Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the guests and thank them for their presentations. I also welcome the advocates and some patients who are in the public gallery. It appears Lyme disease affects a small number of people, although the numbers have been growing during the past number of years. For the people affected, it is a very significant illness and it can be very severe and chronic. I know from contact I have had with sufferers in the south Tipperary area that there is confusion and difficulty in diagnosing the disease and patients suffering from the disease are often not diagnosed with it or only diagnosed with it after a prolonged period. It appears there is a question over the accuracy of the various testing that takes place to identify the disease. Some people have said that the tests are 70% inaccurate and only 30% accurate. Is that correct? Are different tests that are more specific and accurate done in other European countries, for instance, in the UK or Germany? That has been suggested.

The disease can be very debilitating, severe and chronic for people who are affected by it. There is a general unease that there are probably no specialists in this area in the country. A number of general practitioners have a specific interest in this disease. Can I establish if there are any specialists in this field in the country and, if not, are there any proposals to appoint a specialist here, or to have a specialist from another European country come here as an interim measure?

Is there any indication that specific age groups or categories in the population are affected by this disease? It has been suggested the disease can be linked to redwater in animals or ticks in sheep. I seek more information on the disease from our guests and I hope it can be dealt with. Even though it affects only a small group of people, it is very debilitating and severe.