Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 97: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if MRSA will become a notifiable disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35447/05]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 208: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if MRSA will become a notifiable disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35665/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 208 together.

MRSA, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a resistant form of staphylococcus aureus. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, formerly known as the National Disease Surveillance Centre collects data on MRSA bacteraemia also known as blood stream infection or blood poisoning as part of the European antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, EARSS. Since 1 January 2004, MRSA bacteraemia is now included in the revised list of notifiable diseases under the infectious diseases regulations. The reporting process for MRSA bacteraemia remains the same for now, that is, direct reporting to the HPSC via the EARSS protocol which is done on a quarterly basis.