Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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297. To ask the Minister for Defence the anti-malarial medications being provided for those members of the Defence Forces travelling to Sierra Leone; if he is satisfied that Defence Forces' policy in regard to the use of anti-malaria medication is in line with international best practice. [45836/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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TheHealth Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), formerly The Irish Medicines Board (IMB), is the statutory authority with responsibility for the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines in Ireland. There are three anti-malarial medications licensed by the HPRA , in use in the Defence Forces, namely Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone and Doxycycline.The malaria chemoprophylactic agent of choice for use in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be Lariam.

The choice of chemoprophylaxis is dependent on a number of factors including the type of malaria in the destination, resistance to particular drugs, the profile of the traveller (contra-indications, underlying health conditions, purpose of travel), the duration of travel and adherence issues. The choice of medication for the particular mission in Sierra Leone is a medical decision made by Medical Officers in the Defence Forces on the basis of best international practice having regard to the specific circumstances of the mission and the individual member of the Defence Forces. Lariam requires a “lead in” time of approximately four weeks before deployment. However, if there exists an operational imperative which requires “immediate” deployment i.e. (deployment within less than a week) Doxycycline may be used. If the deployment duration was less than four weeks Malarone may be used. The malaria chemoprophylactic agent used for Sierra Leone is in keeping with this guidance.

Former Ministers for Defence have had the various allegations surrounding the use of Lariam investigated thoroughly and obtained the advice of leading medical experts, who concur with the prescribing practices followed by the Defence Forces. Anti-malarial medications must remain in the formulary of medications prescribed by the Medical Corps for Defence Forces personnel on appropriate overseas missions, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, to ensure that our military personnel can have effective protection from the very serious risks posed by this highly dangerous disease.