Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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342. To ask the Minister for Health to provide details on a meeting regarding lyme disease (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50966/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, and it can occasionally lead to serious illness. Ticks are present throughout Ireland, including both urban and rural areas. Although ticks can be active year-round, the period of highest tick activity and therefore Lyme disease is between April and October.

The HSE’s National Health Protection Office, through the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) provides information on the surveillance of Lyme disease. The HPSC offers a wide range of resources to help people reduce their risk of tick bites, including seasonal updates for both the public and healthcare professionals.

Each year in early May, the HSE marks Tick Awareness Day, by providing practical advice on the prevention of tick bites, which can transmit Lyme disease. This is done through website news articles, social media posts, press releases and media interviews. This initiative encourages individuals to take preventive measures during periods when tick activity is highest. Information is provided on common tick habitats, high-risk behaviours, prevention strategies, and how to safely remove and identify ticks.

My officials have engaged with the HSE regarding the matters discussed at the meeting on Lyme disease. Throughout the summer months, the HSE has continued its public awareness efforts through regular social media posts and public communications, aimed at keeping the public informed during the peak tick season.

To further spread public awareness, the HSE provides downloadable posters and leaflets that are intended to be distributed in community centres, schools, and recreational and other common public and private spaces, especially those with an increased risk of tick exposure. These materials are designed to inform individuals about the risks of tick bites and the importance of preventive actions.

A full suite of Lyme Disease resources, including posters and information leaflets, is available through the HPSC website. These posters are suitable for display on publicly accessible land, and the HPSC has actively promoted their availability to Government Departments and public agencies that manage such areas. Local authorities, healthcare professionals, and members of the public are encouraged to download and share these materials.

In addition to public awareness and prevention efforts, clinical pathways for diagnosis and treatment are well established. There is a National Clinical Programme in Infectious Diseases reporting to the office of the Chief Clinical Officer. There has been a significant expansion in the number of Infectious Diseases consultants appointed throughout the country. These Consultants see patients with Infectious Diseases, including patients with Lyme Disease.

GPs are familiar with the most typical presentation, often a rash with a bull’s eye appearance. Most cases can be treated with a brief course of antibiotics, while more complicated cases are referred to infectious disease clinics. Patients with post-Lyme syndrome can be referred by their GP to a public hospital infectious disease clinic in Ireland.

Diagnosis and treatment in clinics operating in the public hospital system is in line with national and international best practice guidelines, as outlined in Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines that have been endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland.

Lyme testing in Ireland is available to all clinical sites, either onsite or via the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL). Confirmatory testing (western blot - an analytical technique in molecular biology and immunogenetics to detect specific proteins in a sample of tissue) is referred to the UK Lyme Reference Service.