Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The health of the men and women in the Defence Forces has always been a matter of priority for the Government. The choice of medication for overseas deployment, including the drug Lariam, is a medical decision made by medical officers in the Defence Forces having regard to the very specific circumstances of the mission, the individual members of the Defence Forces and where they are to attend. Significant precautions have been taken by the Defence Forces medical officers in assessing the medical suitability of members of our Defence Forces to take any anti-malarial medications. It is the policy of the Defence Forces that personnel are individually screened for fitness for service overseas and for medical suitability. Deputy McDonald is well aware that malaria is a serious disease which killed approximately 438,000 people in 2015.

Up to 90% of deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, as reported by the World Health Organization. Today, the Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe, is in Cork meeting PDFORRA, the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, and will address this matter somewhat further.

There are no plans to withdraw Lariam from the range of anti-malaria medications available to the Defence Forces. The use of and the information on these medicines are kept under review all the time. It is just one of a number of anti-malaria medications used by the Defence Forces. The choice of which medication to use is a medical decision. When a person is sensitive to Lariam, they are generally not deployed for service in sub-Saharan Africa. However, if for operational reasons an individual who has a specific skill set which might be fundamental to a mission’s success but who had previously demonstrated sensitivity to Lariam or had a difficulty with its use, then one of the alternative medicines would be used. If during the course of deployment an individual developed sensitivity to Lariam, they would be advised to cease taking the medication and provided with a substitute. That individual would be monitored and, if their case was serious enough, repatriation might be necessary. Obviously, there are several cases being taken. They are medically screened.

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