Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the availability of stocks of anti-viral drugs in the event of a human flu pandemic affecting countries in the EU; the preparations that exist for such an outcome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18128/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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EU member states and the European Commission agreed in 2004 to engage with the pharmaceutical industry concerning vaccines and antivirals. A working document on a possible public private partnership on European pandemic influenza vaccines will be discussed at the Health Council this week.

Following consideration of advice from the influenza pandemic expert group, I decided at the beginning of March that one million treatment packs of oseltamivir, Tamiflu, should be stockpiled. This quantity is sufficient to treat 25% of the population and is in line with international trends. The Health Service Executive signed a contract with Roche Products (Ireland) Limited for the supply of Tamiflu on 8 April 2005. A total of 600,000 packs will be delivered by the end of this year. The remaining 400,000 packs will be delivered in 2006.

The influenza pandemic expert group is reviewing and updating Ireland's 2002 influenza pandemic preparedness plan. This plan was based on the World Health Organisation, WHO, blueprint for an influenza pandemic plan published in 1999. The World Health Organisation published an updated global influenza preparedness plan in April 2005. Our plan is being revised in line with this revised WHO plan.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 153: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of HIV-AIDS cases detected and dealt with here in each of the past five years; the way in which this rate compares with EU figures; her Department's campaign to inform persons of the consequences of contracting HIV-AIDS; the prevention programmes in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18129/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, HSE, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for HIV-AIDS treatment services. The health protection surveillance centre, HPSC, of the HSE which is responsible for the collection of data in relation to HIV-AIDS has provided the following figures.

In terms of EU rates, the latest rates available from EuroHIV, the European centre for the epidemiological monitoring of AIDS and WHO and UNAIDS collaborating centre on AIDS, show that in Ireland in 2003 the rate for HIV infections was 100.9 per million population. EuroHIV does not produce an EU rate. Of those countries where a rate is reported, figures range from as low as 25.7 in the case of Finland to 228.4 in the case of Portugal. The UK rate is reported as 117.3.

Surveillance data on reported HIV infections should be interpreted with caution because they do not represent HIV incidence. These data include many individuals infected in previous years and depend on uptake of HIV testing and patterns of reporting, both of which may vary between countries and over time. Furthermore, they are derived from different sources in different countries, may not be exhaustive in all countries and hence may not be comparable. In addition, a number of large countries — France, Spain and Italy — have not provided figures to EuroHIV. Accordingly, it is difficult to draw conclusions as to the comparative impact of HIV on different countries based on this data.

The report of the national AIDS strategy committee, NASC, which was published in 2000, makes a range of recommendations for dealing with HIV-AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, STIs. The Department of Health and Children, through the national AIDS strategy committee and its sub-committees on education and prevention, surveillance and care and management is working to implement these recommendations.

More than €6 million in additional funding has been provided to the Health Service Executive since 1997 to address the treatment of HIV-AIDS and other STIs. This has resulted in a substantial increase in the facilities in place. Seven consultants specialise in the treatment of HIV-AIDS and STIs in Ireland. Five of these are in Dublin, one of whom deals with children, one in Cork and one in Galway. HIV treatment is available free of charge to all who require it. The care and management sub-committee of the NASC has reviewed the development of HIV-AIDS and STI treatment services throughout the country and published a report with a number of recommendations in relation to these services.

At the programme level, the Department is working with a wide range of partners to implement a comprehensive range of prevention programmes as recommended in the national health promotion strategy 2000-2005 and the report of the national AIDS strategy committee of 2000.

In the school setting, the Department is working in partnership with the Department of Education and Science and the Health Service Executive to support schools in the introduction and delivery of social, personal and health education at both primary and post-primary level. Relationships and sexuality education is an integral part of this curriculum and remains a key priority for this work with schools.

In the out-of-school setting, the health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children works in partnership with the youth affairs section of the Department of Education and Science and the National Youth Council of Ireland to implement the national youth health programme. The aim of the programme is to provide a broadly based, flexible health promotion and education support and training service to youth organisations and to all those working with young workers, addressing the issues of relationships, sexuality and sexual health with young people.

A national public awareness advertising campaign aimed at men and women in the 18 to 35 age group has been developed to increase awareness about safe sex and sexually transmitted infections. The overall goal is to increase safe sex practices and reduce the incidence of STI transmission and unwanted pregnancies among young people in Ireland. The campaign runs in third level colleges, places of entertainment, youth venues and some health centres. This national campaign has been running for several years and a new and revised campaign is being implemented by the health promotion unit which has greatly increased the number of venues targeted. The health promotion unit also produces a range of awareness raising leaflets on STIs and safe sex practices.

The Department of Health and Children will continue to monitor the position closely on HIV-AIDS.