Written answers

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

Department of Health

Infectious Diseases

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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271. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a copy of the full case made to his Department by the applicants for the licence for the scientific study of a species (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43537/17]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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272. To ask the Minister for Health if health risks from faecal contamination from gulls was a stated concern in a study of a species (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43539/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 271 and 272 together.

The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has previously considered the evidence pertaining to gulls and potential health risks. A number of scientific studies have looked at the specific issue of human disease and gulls (from the early 1980s on; the most recent in 2005). While there is some evidence that wild birds (including gulls) may transmit salmonella to animal feed and drinking water and by this mechanism potentially lead to human infection, the evidence for this in each instance was considered weak. Studies that have looked at the likelihood of direct spread of salmonella from gulls to humans conclude that gulls as carriers of Salmonella constitute little health hazard to human health concluding that there is only a low risk of transmitting Salmonella from either gulls or feed factories they may contaminate to humans or domestic animals.

The HPSC gathers information on the causes of outbreaks of infectious disease and for individual cases of infectious disease it collects information on individual risk factors (i.e. those factors known to contribute to disease development but not necessarily proven in the particular case being examined). A look back for the last ten years by the HPSC, indicates that out of 25,000 reported cases of campylobacter and 3,500 cases of salmonella there have been three cases of salmonellosis that could be explained by bird contact (two of these were pet birds) and two cases of campylobacter, one of which mentioned proximity to gulls. This means an association but does not mean that birds caused the disease.

In recognition of the serious and increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the requirement for a ‘whole of Government’ approach to health issues, the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) established a high level National Interdepartmental AMR Consultative Committee to address this issue. The Committee meets Ireland’s requirements to have an intersectoral co-ordination mechanism for addressing AMR at the European level.

As well as work on enhancing surveillance between the health and agriculture sectors, the Committee’s work in 2017 has overseen the development of Ireland’s first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020. This ambitious 3-year Plan has been jointly prepared by the two Departments in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders and covers the use of antimicrobial medicines in animal health and agriculture, as well as human health. Following the World Health Organisation's Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2015), which requires all countries to have a national action plan in place by mid-2017, Ireland's draft Plan lists Strategic Interventions and Activities, responsible bodies and priority rankings of timelines for implementation.

Ireland's National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2020 (iNAP) will be launched on Wednesday 25th October next. The Plan will be launched by Minister Simon Harris TD and Minister Michael Creed TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine as the development of iNAP has been a cross-Departmental initiative, requiring a cross sectoral and whole of Government approach to addressing the world wide threat of AMR.

This ambitious 3-year Plan covers the use of antimicrobial medicines in animal health and agriculture, as well as human health - taking a 'One Health' approach to tackling AMR, encompassing all sectors. The Plan lists Strategic Interventions and Activities, responsible bodies and priority ranking of timelines for implementation. An implementation plan will be developed separately which will address means of tackling AMR as appropriate to each sector.

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