Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I would like to share time with Senator Liam Twomey.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to brief Senators on the situation regarding influenza A(H1 N1). I pay tribute to the medical experts in the Department of Health and Children, particularly the chief medical officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, and his team, for their excellent leadership on this issue, the crisis management provisions which are in place and the briefing of the Opposition, which has been extremely helpful. I would like to see that continuing if and when the situation changes.

It appears that all those who should be involved are involved. It is not yet clear what the outcome will be internationally but we appear to be well prepared at this point. There is no doubt that new demands will be placed on the health services and that vigilance is absolutely essential. The key is information, education and forward planning. It would appear that much planning has been done. It remains to be seen how well the services will respond if the situation develops and, as the Minister said, that is likely. However, the indications are extremely good.

It is important that people are not panicked. Even if there are more cases of the influenza we do not want to see panic. People need to be well-informed and know what to do if they have symptoms of the disease. The general practitioners know what they must do, as do the public health experts. The readiness we have seen and the preparation thus far are very reassuring for people. However, I wish to put some questions to the Minister. We have seen a number of schools in the UK close to where a cluster of cases has been reported. What contact has the Minister's Department had with the Department of Education and Science? What plans are in place should such a situation arise here? That is not in any way to suggest that it will. What is our level of preparedness to deal with such a situation? Have school authorities been briefed on crisis management plans? Does the Minister intend to brief schools? How will these matters be handled and how have they been handled to date?

The Minister mentioned the work to develop a new vaccine for the flu. It would be helpful to keep the public as informed as possible in this regard. I understand the timescale for a new vaccine is between four and six months. It will take time to develop but in the meantime we must have an adequate supply of Tamiflu in Ireland which can prove effective against the disease.

I note the Minister is updating the travel advice on a daily basis which is very important. In the beginning different advice was given at EU level and national level, which was unhelpful. Perhaps the Minister will brief us on the EU response and the decisions taken at the recent Ministers' meeting also.

Is there any specific advice that the Minister or experts could give to people recently returned from Mexico? I commend the medical experts on their control of the issue to date and I wish them well in future. I look forward to hearing from the Minister on some of the details I have sought.