Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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401. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a date to meet with a group (details supplied) to discuss Lyme disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2586/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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459. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the issues raised at a meeting on 2 August 2016 between officials from his Department and advocates for support and services for Lyme disease patients; his plans to assist persons seeking diagnosis relative to lyme disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2830/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 and 459 together.

Lyme borreliosis can be asymptomatic or have a range of clinical presentations. Current best advice is that diagnosis should be made only after careful examination of the patient's clinical history, physical findings, laboratory evidence and exposure risk evaluation. Exposure to ticks prior to disease manifestations is necessary for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis. Since an awareness or recollection of a tick-bite is not always present, however, this should not exclude the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis. Later stages require the use of antibody detection tests (or advanced DNA detection techniques). Testing for Lyme Disease is undertaken in most of the larger hospitals in Ireland. In undertaking Lyme testing, it is essential that the results are interpreted in the light of the clinical condition of the patient. If the result of this initial screen is equivocal, the patient's samples are referred to the U.K.'s Public Health England Porton Down facility which uses a two-tier system recommended by American and European authorities. This involves a screening serological test followed by a confirmatory serological test.

I understand that representatives from Tick Talk met with Minister of State Marcella Corcoran Kennedy on 2nd August, 2016.

A member of the Group has been invited to be the patient representative on a Lyme Borreliosis Sub-Committee which has been established by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). The aim of this Sub-Committee is to develop strategies to undertake primary prevention in order to minimise the harm caused by Lyme Borreliosis in Ireland. In addition to staff from the HPSC, the membership of the Sub-Committee includes specialists in Public Health Medicine, Consultants in Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology, Occupational Health an Entomologist from the Parks and Wildlife Service, a representative from the Local Government Management Agency and an Environmental Health Officer.

The initial work of the Lyme Borreliosis Sub-committee involves a survey of laboratory methods for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in Ireland, the development of Lyme borreliosis guidance for general practitioners, the publication of medical media articles to highlight diagnostics and laboratory methods relating to Lyme borreliosis available in Ireland for general practitioners, and ongoing work in drawing together the Final Report of the Sub-committee.