TB scare - Action is matter of urgency

AS World TB Day was marked around the globe yesterday, parents were anxiously waiting for children attending two crèches in Cork to be screened after it emerged a woman who contracted the disease worked in both centres.

Ironically, at a time when the disease is becoming a serious issue in Ireland again, the BCG vaccine to prevent TB infection is readily available across the country apart from Health Service Executive (HSE) South, the Cork-Kerry region, where the disease is at the highest level in a decade.

In a further setback, Munster’s only TB testing lab has been shut down because the ageing prefab at Cork University Hospital deteriorated badly over the winter.

The HSE says a group has been set up in Cork to progress the roll-out of the BCG vaccination for newborns during 2007, in line with national policy.

In the public interest, a greater sense of urgency is clearly warranted.