Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 72: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will provide a list of the precautions that have been taken in view of the threat posed by avian flu; the timeframe in which she expects to see these precautionary measures in place; if contingency plans have been drawn up should the disease mutate into a worst case scenario; the risk she sees it posing at the present time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29896/05]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 79: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she has made representations at an international level to press the manufacturers of a product (details supplied) to share their knowledge and technology with other manufacturers in order to increase production in view of the threat of a flu pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29932/05]

John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 86: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the current level of an anti-viral (details supplied) in stock here to cope with the bird flu; the level of deliveries which will be in stock on a monthly basis as the current level of stock in the UK is 25% of the population; if 20,000 vaccinations will be available in counties Sligo and Leitrim; if they will be ring-fenced for this region; if she will take total responsibility for this and not the Health Service Executive officials alone to allay the fear of the general public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30001/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 79 and 86 together.

Avian influenza, bird flu, is an infectious disease of birds caused by the type A strains of the influenza virus. The Department of Agriculture and Food is responsible for controlling avian influenza in birds and mammals other than humans. That Department has a contingency plan for avian influenza and all questions relating to this should be referred to my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan.

According to the World Health Organisation, the spread of the AH5N1 virus to poultry in new areas is of concern as it increases opportunities for further human cases to occur. However, all evidence to date indicates that the H5N1 virus does not spread easily from birds to infect humans. The WHO level of pandemic alert remains unchanged at phase 3; a virus new to humans is causing infections, but does not spread easily from one person to another.

My Department and the Health Service Executive are closely monitoring avian influenza developments with particular reference to the public health implications. Information on avian influenza is available on the health protection surveillance centre website under the health topics section, and a fact sheet for travellers forms part of this information.

The health protection surveillance centre posted the following documents on its website, www.hpsc.ie, on 14 October; interim guidance for protection of persons involved in avian influenza outbreak control and eradication activities in Ireland; interim guidance on public health actions to be taken on notification of avian influenza in animals in Ireland; avian influenza case surveillance form.

A subgroup of the influenza pandemic expert group had been working on this guidance material. They were published on Friday, 14 October, due to the increased concern following confirmation of H5N1 infection in Turkey. In addition, interim Irish guidelines on the investigation and management of suspected human cases of avian influenza, influenza AH5, have been circulated to all health care professionals and are also posted on the HPSC website.

A clinical management algorithm has been circulated to hospitals and clinicians on the appropriate management of travellers returning from countries affected by avian influenza presenting with fever and respiratory symptoms. This will assist in early detection of any influenza AH5 cases. The overall aims of influenza pandemic planning are to reduce mortality and morbidity and to minimise the resulting disruption to society.

However, the consequences of a global pandemic are still likely to be serious. Pandemic planning can only mitigate the effects. My Department and the Health Service Executive are working closely together on pandemic planning. A detailed plan for response to an influenza pandemic was prepared in 2004. This plan is currently being updated to reflect the most up to date advice of the influenza pandemic expert group and the World Health Organisation, WHO. This work has continued over the summer.

Vaccination will be the primary public health intervention in the event of an influenza pandemic. Developments are taking place at international level seeking to expedite the pandemic vaccine production process. A vaccine is in development which could offer some protection against an H5N1 flu strain. International experts consider that a stockpile of H5N1 vaccine could be used as a first line of defence for priority groups while a vaccine against the exact pandemic influenza strain is manufactured.

On foot of expert advice, it was decided in August that a limited amount of H5N1 vaccine should be purchased. It is intended to purchase 400,000 doses, sufficient for 200,000 people. My Department is actively pursuing this matter. H5N1 vaccines will not be available anywhere before March or April 2006.

The World Health Organisation is urging countries with adequate resources to stockpile antiviral drugs nationally for use at the start of a pandemic. Around 30 countries, of which Ireland is one, are purchasing large quantities of these drugs, but the manufacturer has no capacity to fill these orders immediately. At present manufacturing capacity, which has recently quadrupled, it will take a decade to produce enough Tamiflu to treat 20% of the world's population. The manufacturing process for Tamiflu is complex and time consuming and is not easily transferred to other facilities. However, recent media reports indicate that the pharmaceutical company Roche is considering licensing generic versions of Tamiflu thus enabling it to be made more widely available.

I am pleased, therefore, to confirm that we are stockpiling 1 million treatment packs of Tamiflu. This quantity is sufficient to treat 25% of the population. A total of 600,000 packs will be delivered by the end of this year. The remaining 400,000 packs will be delivered next year. Plans for the storage and distribution of antivirals are being developed as part of the planning process. We already have an emergency supply of over 45,000 treatment packs of antivirals, Tamiflu, and 10,000 units of paediatric suspension. The size of the stockpile is in line with international trends: for example, the UK is also building up a stockpile to cover 25% of its population. Its stockpile will be complete by the end of 2006.

It should be noted that pandemic planning is a dynamic process. This means that within this the strategy for use of antivirals must be kept under review. In particular, the expert group will need to review the epidemiological data before final recommendations are decided in the setting of an imminent pandemic. The decision making process will be guided at all times by relevant expert advice from the European Commission and the World Health Organisation.