Government respond feebly to this threat to humans

A RING of steel enveloped Ireland two years ago to halt an infectious animal disease.

The Government and particularly Minister Joe Walsh’s leadership in response to the foot-and-mouth emergency drew international acclaim and was used as a model by neighbours to help contain the disease.

All the stops were pulled out to safeguard both the agriculture industry and the Irish economy, including emergency legislation which provided stringent new powers to department officials.

In comparison, the Government’s approach to the SARS crisis, which impacts on human health, is feeble.

As global events illustrate, infectious diseases do not respect a 5pm cut-off point. Ireland, it was suggested yesterday, remains the weakest link in the European defence system against SARS.

A new expert health group on SARS met this week for the first time, but its role is primarily advisory, its recommendations including the distribution of multilingual information leaflets in airports and ports.

According to a health spokesperson, said it was impossible to draw a comparison between the Government’s response to SARS and the 2001 livestock crisis. Two years ago, the country came to a standstill as the farm minister warned against complacency. The Cabinet backed him, as Minister Walsh demanded draconian legislative measures to halt the spread of the disease.

In its response to SARS, the Department of Health is relying heavily on a self-awareness approach. The department strongly suggested yesterday that people should arm themselves with information, by accessing the World Health Organisation website or other internet sources.

The National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) is the country’s leading specialist centre for surveillance of communicable diseases. However, as a result of the public doctors’ strike, the NDSC’s website has not been updated since April 11.

Fine Gael’s Olivia Mitchell said the public was losing confidence in the health system. Minister Martin and the health system, she said, were floundering in the absence of the unique expertise provided by the doctors in the area of infectious disease control.