Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 430: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the scheme of free influenza vaccines for people working in the poultry industry has been implemented as part of the efforts to prevent avian influenza; the numbers vaccinated under the scheme; the regions where vaccinations have been given; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2141/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, 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 the administration of influenza vaccine. The HSE has confirmed that it was agreed last October, as an urgent public health measure, that all poultry workers should be actively offered the seasonal influenza vaccine. The purpose of this was to prevent the possibility of an individual being infected by both avian and human influenza at the same time and hence giving rise to a mutation of the avian influenza virus which could infect humans. The vaccination is free of charge to the relevant individuals.

Those defined as poultry workers are poultry flock owners and their families; poultry veterinary practitioners; poultry advisers; Department of Agriculture and Food veterinary inspectors and other personnel involved in outbreak control measures; laboratory personnel involved in poultry post mortems or poultry virology; catching teams; poultry transporters; carcass transport and rendering plant personnel; workers in the hang-on, stunning and plucking areas in slaughter plants; fieldsmen; vaccinators and selectors; people involved in cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses or poultry transport; and personnel involved in litter removal and litter processing.

The vaccination campaign for poultry workers has been implemented and vaccinations were available in all parts of the country. Owing to the high density of poultry farms in the north east and the mid-west, specific clinics were offered to the poultry industry for their employees to be vaccinated. A further effort at increasing uptake of the vaccine is about to be undertaken. The precise figure of those vaccinated is not available.