Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 61: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the extent of the recent steep rise in reported cases of mumps in County Cavan; the strategies in place to ensure the protection of all children and young persons up to the age of 23 against mumps; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8697/05]

Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 62: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the extent of the current outbreak of mumps; the strategies that are in place to combat it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8698/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 62 together.

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella and, in accordance with the recommendations of the immunisation advisory committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, can be administered to children between 12 to 15 months of age. A vaccine uptake rate of 95% is required in order to protect children from the diseases concerned and to stop the spread of the diseases in the community.

Mumps data provided by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre of the Health Service Executive, formerly the National Disease Surveillance Centre, indicate that 190 mumps cases were reported for weeks one to ten of 2005, that is, up until 12 March 2005. Six cases were reported for the same period in 2004. There has been increased mumps activity throughout the country since October 2004.

A national outbreak control team, OCT, was convened at the beginning of the outbreak on 3 November 2004. Members of the OCT include representatives from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre — HPSC — Health Service Executive — HSE areas, department of public health and the programme for action for children — PAC; and my Department. The strategies agreed by the OCT to ensure the protection of all children and young persons up to the age of 23 years against mumps are as follows: to raise awareness and improve case reporting by laboratories and clinicians; to improve information available on reported mumps cases through enhanced reporting — laboratory confirmation, hospitalisation data, complications, vaccinations status, contract with a case; and to provide bi-weekly detailed reports on the extent of the outbreak, number of cases reported, risk factors for infection, vaccination status, and laboratory confirmation of disease. This information is disseminated to all HSE areas, members of OCT and my Department. To encourage vaccination against mumps among all children as part of routine immunisation programme, two doses of MMR are recommended at ages 12-15 months and four to five years of all children. In areas where mumps cases are identified contract tracing is undertaken by local HSE area staff. Identified contacts of mumps cases, who are considered likely to be at risk of infection due to age of non-vaccination, are recommended MMR vaccine. Dependent on HSE area, when mumps cases are linked to educational settings, local strategies for vaccination of at risk students are identified, either through vaccination teams, GPs or student health services. Students in schools, or colleges where outbreaks occur are informed about the risk of mumps if they are non-immunised or incompletely immunised and are recommended MMR vaccine. HSE area staff work with the involved institutions to provide information and advice to the student population. Additional MMR has been provided to services requiring it for vaccination programmes.

In Cavan, ten cases of mumps have been reported since the beginning of 2005 — weeks one to ten. This compares with zero cases reported for the same period in 2004. Two doses of MMR vaccine are recommended for all children as part of the routine immunisation programme at 12 to 15 months and at four to five years of age. The department of public health and community care public health staff of the HSE north-eastern area manage the contract tracing, provision of advice and vaccination recommendations for contacts considered to be at risk of mumps infection, particularly those less than 24 years of age.

I take this opportunity to again urge all parents to have their children immunised against the diseases covered by the childhood immunisation programme in order to ensure that both their children and the population generally have maximum protection against the diseases concerned.