Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Malaria is a serious disease that kills approximately 1 million people per annum in sub-Saharan Africa alone. It is a serious threat to any military force operating in the area. The anti-malaria regime in place in the Defence Forces, including the use of Lariam, has worked. In the decade of deployment to sub-Saharan Africa by the Defence Forces, not a single member of the Defence Forces has died from malaria and there are only three documented cases of personnel contracting the disease.

The Irish Medicines Board, IMB, is the statutory body that regulates medicines available in Ireland. I am advised that the three anti-malarial medications licensed by the IMB, namely, Lariam, Malarone and Doxycycline, can all have significant side-effects. To assert that any one of these products is automatically a more effective or safer alternative to the others is a grossly misleading over-simplification. Each of the three drugs has been used by the Defence Forces, depending on individual circumstances, including the type of malaria in the destination, the duration of travel, etc. I am further advised that the Defence Forces are fully aware of the range of reported side-effects attaching to all anti-malarial medications. Protocols are in place to control the risk of side-effects in individuals.

Lariam is one of the most effective medications for protection against the type of malaria prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. I have had the various allegations surrounding the use of Lariam investigated thoroughly and I have obtained the advice of leading medical experts who concur with the prescribing practices followed by the Defence Forces. I am advised that the allegation of a link between Lariam and suicide or suicide ideation has been examined. Of 156 non-service related deaths among members of the Defence Forces in the period from January 2000 to December 2010, 25 were apparently from self-inflicted injuries, although only one is recorded by a coroner as suicide. Of these 25 deaths, Lariam had never been prescribed in 16 cases. Of the remaining nine cases, given the limited period of time during which Lariam remains in the bloodstream, according to our expert advice, it is extremely unlikely that the product could have been a contributory factor in practically all of these cases. There is no evidence in any of the coroners' inquests linking any deaths to Lariam.

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