John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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352. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to provide help and advice to persons with Lyme disease; the information available through his Department and the Health Service Executive regarding this disease; his plans to meet a group representing those with Lyme disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36605/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) of the HSE is responsible for the surveillance of notifiable diseases such as Lyme Disease. The HPSC is presently involved in establishing a Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee with the primary aim of examining best practice in prevention and surveillance of Lyme Disease and to develop strategies to undertake primary prevention in order to minimise harm caused by Lyme Borreliosis in Ireland. This will involve raising awareness among both clinicians and the general public.

The HPSC has undertaken a considerable amount of work in the run-up to the establishment of this committee. There is an extensive section on Lyme Disease on the HPSC website aimed at ensuring that awareness of Lyme Disease is maintained as a priority. In addition, information specifically for clinicians is available on the HPSC website to ensure that diagnosticians remain increasingly aware of the issue of Lyme Borreliosis.

The HPSC holds a Lyme Disease Awareness Week each year with this years event having taken place in late May. The awareness week proved to be a great success with more than a dozen radio interviews and several print media articles resulting from raised awareness during the week. This increased activity also resulted in a 100% increase in the amount of web traffic to the various Lyme Disease sections of the HPSC website.

The HPSC continues to work with sister organisations and others to ensure that the issue of Lyme Disease is brought to as wide an audience as possible. In this regard, the Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee will welcome any comments and suggestions from interested parties in preparation of a final consultation document.