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THE MINISTER for Defence has dismissed suggestions of a link between the suicides of members of the Defence Forces and a drug prescribed to them to prevent malaria.
Alan Shatter said an investigation into an alleged link between Lariam and mental health difficulty had concluded it was “extremely unlikely” that the drug had played a part in the deaths by suicide of several soldiers.
The drug is one of three licensed by the Irish Medicines Board for the treatment of malaria – but it has long been alleged that use of the drug coincides with a higher risk of suicide, or suicidal ideation, among those who are prescribed it.
In an RTÉ documentary last month, two experts called for an urgent inquiry into the prescription of Lariam for Defence Forces personnel – identifying a higher suicide rate among those who had taken Lariam than those who had not.
“To assert that one [of the three licensed drugs] is any more safe or effective than another is “a grossly misleading over-simplification,” Shatter told the Dáil this afternoon.
Shatter said all three of the drugs – Lariam, malarone and doxycycline - approved by the IMB had been prescribed by the Defence Forces depending on the circumstances, such as the particular region of Africa that personnel were being deployed to, and the duration of their tour.
Of the 156 non-service-related deaths of Defence Forces personnel between 2000 and 2010, Shatter said, 25 were from self-inflicted injuries. Nine of those personnel had been prescribed Lariam before touring sub-Saharan Africa.
However, “given the limited period of time in which Lariam remains in the bloodstream, according to our expert advice, it is extremely unlikely that Lariam could have been a contributory factor in all of these cases,” the minister said.
The death rate among Defence Forces personnel from self-inflicted injuries during that period was 0.24 per cent, he added – while in the previous 11-year period, where the drug was not prescribed, the equivalent rate was 0.32 per cent.
“The Defence Forces are fully aware of range of the reported side-effects attaching to all anti-malarial medications,” he said.
Pressed by Sinn Féin’s Padraig Mac Lochlainn as to why other countries had stopped using the drug, apparently having been alerted to the same concerns, Shatter said the United States had stopped administering it “due to concerns about inadvertent prescribing of the drug of soldiers who should not take it”.
“The US authorities undertook mass administration to Larium for soldiers serving in areas subject to malaria, without any individual screening of personnel,” he said.
By comparison, select Irish personnel were prescribed the drug for brief periods before travelling, so that any negative reaction could be identified before they departed for duty.
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Donnelly IS trouble.
The man thinks it’s funny that projects he oversees costs the taxpayer six times more than initially anticipated.
@Ross: as are FG, when they came to power there were 3000 people homeless, now there are 14,000 people homeless. Including 4000 children homeless alone. Vulture funds ownership of housing before family homeownership
@F1rYnpWc: go off, ya windbag
@Tired Jim: Ah he is only annoyed as he is out of a job next week
@Trump24: he is a millionaire
@F1rYnpWc: And while the homeless figures for last month should have been published today. They managed to make sure they didn’t get published until after the election
@Mayo seem to be the football equivalent of Waterfo: im NO ffgg but the homeless numbers come out last friday every month at 2pm,i vote for everyone but FFGG get them OUT,,,
@Tired Jim: now now jim people get reported for less than that. Calling a certain person a clown and I got reported. Remember that Jim??
@Tired Jim: fk it I thought I had all of ye moldbags muted
@F1rYnpWc: homeless figures have skyrocketed in Northern Ireland too under the shinners watch
The dog has a greater chance of getting faster access to treatment than its human.
Is that the guy that said FF were the essence of corruption.
@Paul Power: Micheal Martin says Donnelly has “overseen transformative change”, that’s for sure Micheal, our Health service is at the point of collapse & when you enter Hospitals here, you may die from neglect, as many families have unfortunately found to their cost. Donnelly is a bandwagoner who jumped ship at every turn, just to get on the gravy train, he & Robert Watt’s legacy is that they have destroyed the Health Service, but paid themselves very handsomely. Anyone voting for this guy would have to be questioned on whether they are playing with the full deck.
The good people of Wicklow voted for change and put him in the Dail then he done a sly one and jumped into bed with Fianna Fail
dont give him the chance to fool us again!
@Kevin O Brien: in 2020 he ran for FF in the general election and was voted in. So not fully correct
@Ger Whelan: yep, gone from Soc Dem, to independent, to FF!
“A transformative minister for health” meanwhile our frontline staff are about to go on strike because of lack of staffing levels to the point of danger. Surely FF can’t believe their own lies at this stage. Voting in MM, who was in cabinet during the countries economic collapse, you’d seriously want to give your head a wobble voting FF. They blatantly and shamelessly lie and manipulate. FG aren’t much better, but by god FF is awful for their outright lies.
@Sean Stevenson: I wonder will the nurses call off their strike when yeah are offered more middle management positions like the last time they striked.
Hopefully !
Donnelly and O’Brien. 100% wasters.
If ffg get back in to power, there’s a bigger mental health issue in the country than previous thought
Egg head is gone Harris will struggle too
@John Kenny: Harris will struggle? Are you mental? He will walk in. And most likely be Taoiseach
@Sean Hayes: but BS gets more likes on here ;)
@Sean Hayes: TROLL ALERT
Trump/FG/FF Troll Alert….
Available options for muting.
The Doe Family aka Paul/Mick/Dave.
Trump24 (obviously)
Frank/Kevy
The Jim Family aka Faded/Jaded/Tired
@Michale Kane: Bye Bye SF Propaganda paid person you are getting fired tomorrow will miss u
@Michale Kane: lol The Doe Family. They’re unbearable. All muted too
@Michale Kane: the dole family there so thick they cant even spell there name,,,
Donnelly is a vacuous windbag who has overseen huge costs and getting far less service under his watch.
A spoofer.
I hope the good people of Wicklow show the way and get rid of Donnelly and Harris.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ‘
Mee Hole Martin says Donnelly has been a “ Transformative Minister for Health”. Mee Hole is completely right. Donnelly has transformed healthcare in this country from being just about functioning to collapsing.
@Minnie Mouse: an objective analysis of data shows otherwise, eg more beds, more staff, reduced waiting times, more primary care centres, reduced charges etc
@Johnny Wilson: new account/troll alert
@Johnny Wilson: ha seriously reduced waiting times? Me bollix
I hope so. He is a snake.
Donnelly is as useful as a hedgehog on a lilo. I mean he is absolutely the worst minister of health I have ever seen. Vote this clown out.
@Gerry Lamont: And he had some very tough competition!
There are 19 million child brides in Pakistan.
@Maximilian Kolbe: Is Pakistan voting as well? Just wondering why you referenced that in this article that has nothing to do with child brides or Pakistan?
@Maximilian Kolbe: There are 9 million bicycles in Beijing….
@Maximilian Kolbe: no vote for SF tomorrow, protect our kids
@Brian D’Arcy: there was never an article on child brides. We need to raise awareness these filthy values
@Brian D’Arcy: we have the most expensive bike shed and a children’s hospital ain’t even finished yet
@Maximilian Kolbe: Is this a variation on the “There are 21 million penguins in Antarctica, and if they invade Ireland each person will have to fight 3.18 penguins” thing?
Neither Harris nor Donnelly deserve reelection but unfortunately they’ll both get back in.
It would be a major blow and a sad loss for the country, should Stephen Donnelly lose his seat, he has excelled in his role as minister for health
@Tired Jim: Absolutely, excelled in pushing public health services to become private. After all, the same individual called for City of London to be brought to Dublin because of Brexit.
@Tired Jim: ah Jim , you’re obviously beyond tired. Conehead is an abject failure and full of nonsense talk. Nothing delivered but talk. Hes caused huge damage to this country on a financial and health basis.
@Tired Jim: probably the most useless minister ever. Helen McEntee and O’Gorman right up there with him.
@Tired Jim: that’s why theres long waiting lists, ppl on trollies, can’t get doc apps, scoliosis, cervical cancer and a hospital that’s taking and age to complete and costing tax payers billions!!!
He will be elected no doubt
@Trump24: He won’t. He’s as bad as O Gormless and Harris. People see right through these clowns.
@Marvin Dollery: so give us your wisdom Merv? Who will be elected in Wicklow, given you have ruled out both Donnelly and Harris? And always remember, just because you consider people to be clowns, doesn’t necessarily mean that others do too. My own guess is Harris, Whitmore, Brady & Donnelly. I fear Stephen Mathews will lose out
@Marvin Dollery: He will be elected 100%
@Kevin Kerr: I’d say that’s pretty bang on Kevin
@The next small thing: unless Mathews can squeeze in ahead of Donnelly, or an outside bet the independent Cullen who is essentially FG
@Kevin Kerr: Cullen won’t get in, he’s FG but annoyed he didn’t get on the ticket, there’s normally at least 1 FF seat however behan will take a lot of FF first preferences and they’re not as popular as years ago. Like most constituencies it will be down to transfers and that could get Donnelly over the line.
@The next small thing: yea, between Donnelly and Mathews for the final seat, with Donnelly the fave. Mathews might get transfer tho from Brady and Whitmore….
One thing is clear, Journal is a shinner rag
@Tired Jim: The kids that run it have proven themselves as SF puppets it’s actually embarrassing
Oh yeah, allowing Trump/FFG trolls like you lot to make abusive vile nasty comments all day everyday for weeks is a clever ploy by The Journal to hide their pro SF bias.. lol..
Ye getting desperate now lol.
@Trump24: they’re not even pretending to be impartial, gonna be a lot of tears in Journal HQ after tomorrow
@Michale Kane: pot, kettle
All SF have to offer, is more waffle about that ridiculous border poll nonsense
@Tired Jim: Vote Sinn Fein
@Jb Walshe: no thanks, I want to keep my job hence the reason my family will be voting FG and FF
@Johnny Wilson: you must work for ffg so Johnny
In Wicklow I give my vote to Independent Joe Behan.
Today in court, SF/IRA leaders were accused of abusing young children in the 80s, who had fled the North due to British persecution.
@D Farrell: anyone can be accused of anything …..yawn
@D Farrell: They shout down everyone on here, but they have a serious problem with paedophiles in their ranks.
@D Farrell: deflection much ffs, what about the years of sexual, mental, emotional and physical abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church who were protected at all costs by fianna fail and fine gael? Or do you pretend that it never happened to justify keeping fffg in government? Let’s bury our heads in the sand for another 100 years if it was up to people with your attitude
@Dave G Doe: sure you can’t vote here anyway. Your on the other side of the border
And they’re off!. TheJournal poking a stick in the cage of the political experts here who would never put their own name on a ballot
@Ian McDonald: Your opinion is a bit flawed as you think the Journal is pro SF… Unless you think the Trump/FFG troll making abusive vile nasty comments all day everyday for weeks is a clever ploy by The Journal to hide their bias.. lol.
Bye bye leave yer seat and exit stage left and have the door slam behind you!!
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