John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I am happy to have the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the HSE has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the administration of influenza vaccine.

The HSE has confirmed that it has directed that all poultry workers should be actively offered this year's seasonal 'flu vaccine. This instruction issued to the HSE areas from the population health directorate on 31 October 2005. This is a public health measure and its purpose is to prevent the possibility of an individual being infected by both avian influenza and human influenza at the same time.

Avian influenza is a highly infectious disease of birds that occasionally affects other animals and, while people can become infected, they rarely do. The view of the Department of Agriculture and Food is that the immediate risk of the disease being introduced into Ireland by migratory birds remains low. Although the avian H5Nl virus is highly pathogenic in human beings, all evidence to date indicates that it does not spread easily from birds to infect humans and human outbreaks have been short-lived. All the recorded human cases of H5Nl infections were associated with direct contact with infected poultry. There is currently no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission of avian influenza.

The greatest concern for human health is that the avian H5Nl virus will remain endemic and that continued transmission of the virus to humans and other animals will provide opportunities for human and avian viruses to exchange genes to produce a new virus that can replicate in humans and become highly pathogenic and easily transmissible between humans. In a human population with no pre-existing immunity, such a virus could trigger a global influenza pandemic. That is why it has been decided that poultry workers should receive the normal flu vaccine. Vaccination is being provided free of charge to the relevant individuals.

Those defined as poultry workers include poultry flock owners and their families, poultry veterinary practitioners, poultry advisers, Department of Agriculture and Food veterinary inspectors and other personnel involved in outbreak control measures, laboratory personnel involved in poultry post mortems or poultry virology, catching teams, poultry transporters, carcass transport and rendering plant personnel, workers in the hang-on, stunning and plucking areas in slaughter plants, fieldsmen, vaccinators, selectors and so on, people involved in cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses or poultry transport, as well as personnel involved in litter removal and litter processing.

Relevant staff in the Department of Agriculture and Food will be vaccinated by the Civil Service occupational health service. The HSE has advised that arrangements are under way to provide the vaccination. I am satisfied that the vaccination programme will be implemented in full. Vaccine supplies are available and particular focus is being placed on those counties with a high concentration of poultry farms, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

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