Report shows environmental dimension of antimicrobial resistance
The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with responsibility for research and development, Noel Grealish has today (June 11) launched a report entitled 'Ireland's First Gap Analysis Report on Research needs in Relation to Antimicrobial Resistance'.
Minister of State Grealish launched the report alongside the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for public health, wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor.
The report by researchers from Maynooth University provides a comprehensive review of previous and ongoing research in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across human and animal health in the Republic of Ireland from 2017 to 2023.
It also provides an update on research in relation to the environmental dimension of AMR in an Irish context from April 2021 to December 2023.
According to DAFM, antimicrobial resistance or AMR is a global threat and an urgent challenge.
It poses a significant risk to human health and requires a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to promote actions across the human, animal and environmental sectors to achieve the best health outcomes for all three sectors.
Report
Ireland has adopted a cross departmental 'One Health' approach to AMR, led by the Department of Health and DAFM.
The report shows that Irish researchers have been to the global forefront of ongoing research on AMR.
However, Irish research requires considerable expansion in research areas for novel diagnostics/therapeutics and vaccines.
The report also indicates that Irish research needs to focus on providing solutions or alternatives to the identified AMR problems to minimise the impact of AMR to human, animal, and environmental health.
Minister of State Grealish said: 'This timely report highlights the need for more research that examines One Health in its entirety, in relation to the complexity of the intersectoral interactions and how these interactions contribute to AMR.
'In a world of increasing uncertainty, complexity and change, a One Health approach is crucial to safeguard the interests of society as a whole,' the minister added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
6 hours ago
- Agriland
Heydon defends DAFM's strategy for tackling TB
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has outlined the reasons that his department captures badgers in areas where 'serious outbreaks of TB have been identified' and a veterinary inspector has found that badgers are 'the likely source on inspection'. Minister Heydon was responding to a parliamentary question from People Before Profit-Solidarity TD, Paul Murphy this week (June 10). Deputy Murphy asked the minister if he will bring an end to the culling of badgers by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) 'in light of scientific evidence that it is ineffective in reducing TB levels in cattle'. In response Minister Heydon said: 'Bovine tuberculosis is a challenging disease to control and eradicate due to several factors. 'Ireland's bovine TB eradication programme operates in line with best national and international scientific research and advice. A large body of peer-reviewed research has been conducted into the spread of TB in Ireland and the risks underlying its transmission,' Minister Heydon added. According to the minister, the research has found that the principal causes of TB introduction and spread include: Movement of cattle with undetected infection. Residual infection in cattle previously exposed to TB. Spread across farm boundaries. Indirect spread through other biosecurity breaches. Spread from infected badgers to cattle. TB The minister believes that the relative contributions of each of these factors will vary from farm to farm. Minister Heydon said: 'Ireland's current TB eradication programme necessarily incorporates a wildlife strategy which includes the removal of badgers from areas where there has been a TB outbreak. 'Such a requirement arises as tuberculosis is present both in cattle and in badgers and both species share the same environment, and the same strains of TB. The current policy was introduced in response to research conducted over many years by the department. 'Research carried out in Ireland demonstrates that TB levels in badgers are highest in areas where TB levels in cattle are highest and that the targeted removal of badgers in such areas contributes to a reduction in the incidence of TB,' Minister Heydon added. The minister also highlighted that badgers are protected by national legislation, and are listed within the Berne convention. This legislation outlines that local populations of badgers cannot be exterminated, and that badger habitats cannot be destroyed. 'Badgers are captured under license, issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage,' Minister Heydon said. 'My department's wildlife programme comprises a combination of vaccination and culling, depending on the circumstances,' he added.
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Project to strengthen farmers' mental health 'very successful'
A project supporting farmers' mental health has been 'very successful' and a great example of helping men, a Tipperary hurler and academic said. Dr Conor Hammersley is a former Tipperary player and principal investigator in rural mental health at the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health. 'There's good data to say that farmers experience many challenges around their mental health and (it's) one of the highest occupations associated with suicide,' he said. He was part of a team designing a training programme for agricultural advisors so they could help with mental health on top of what they already offer farmers. The idea, he said, was to 'try and meet them (farmers) where they're at and to try and create more supportive networks around mental health'. The 'On Feirm Ground' project – a play on words between the English word firm and the Irish for farm – includes advice on recognising signs of distress in farmers. Speaking on a HSE podcast to mark Men's Health Week, he said: 'From what I can see, it's been very successful'. This tailored focus on one group is 'a great example' of how men's health could be approached, he suggested. 'Too often it's seen that men are just one homogenous group and this is why data is so important and demography is so important,' he said. "When you use data and you use demographics, you can see what communities are in most need of resources to be distributed towards them.' HSE podcast host, Fergal Fox, said: 'Thankfully we've seen the On Feirm Ground programme go from strength to strength.' The advisors welcomed the training, he noted. 'They could see the issues coming up in the farmyard. They were talking to farmers that were stressed out and that they were trying to advise them,' he said. But they could see that their issues were beyond the agri-business or the farming itself. He added this year the Department of Agriculture has increased funding for health, safety, and well-being. 'So there'll be more activities coming out,' he said. Dr Hammersley also plays in New York and was part of their victory in the Lory Meagher Cup last month. He referred to comments by team captain Johnny Glynn in a 'very powerful' interview on The GAA Social podcast earlier this month. The discussion on IVF was "sharing an experience that typically men wouldn't do," he said. 'I'm just thinking back to Johnny Glynn's podcast," he said. "And one of the things that he said since he started to speak about it himself - about the difficulty him and his partner have had with IVF treatment – the amount of men that have come to him with similar experiences." Read More Veterinary Advice: Farmers must reach out for help in this time of hardship
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I ignored eye issue while driving before being diagnosed with incurable disease – watch out for key signs
A WOMAN has told how she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after noticing a strange symptom while driving. Affecting over 9,000 people in Ireland, the incurable disease is the most common disabling neurological disease among young Irish adults. 4 Marie Pickup is a 38-year-old mum who was diagnosed with MS last December Credit: Journalist Collect 4 The brave mum-of-two had symptoms for over a year before her diagnosis Credit: Journalist Collect 4 And she is now sharing her story with others on social media Credit: Journalist Collect Marie Pickup from The 38-year-old's journey began in October 2023, when she first noticed pain in her eye while The mum then visited the eye casualty unit where she was diagnosed with optic perineuritis, a rare inflammation around the optic nerve. Marie said: 'It all started in October 2023 - and it was just one of those things where when you're driving and you're looking behind you to go into another lane, I would notice that my eye was sore. READ MORE IN HEALTH 'I was just kind of ignoring it to be honest - I didn't have any reason to think it was anything major. 'It was actually my mum, who's a nurse, that said to go into eye casualty and just let them have a look at it, because it wasn't going away. 'They thought it was optic perineuritis, where you have a protective funnel that your optic nerve goes through becomes inflamed.' This led to Marie getting her first MRI scan, which revealed initial lesions on her brain. Most read in Health Treated with steroids to reduce the inflammation, the Multiple Sclerosis explained Over the following year, Marie underwent a series of tests, including lumbar punctures and blood samples sent to specialists in By October 2024, and over a year after her initial symptoms, her consultants were 97 percent certain she had MS. And this diagnosis was formally confirmed in December 2024. She said: 'At that point, you're like, am I hoping for MS, or am I hoping for whatever else they're testing for? 'By the time October last year came around, they were 97 percent sure - and then when my symptoms progressed between then and December it was a definite diagnosis as a lesion was now on my spine. 'At this point, my whole central nervous system was being affected.' When Marie first heard the words 'multiple sclerosis,' she admits it was overwhelming. Although she revealed she wasn't shocked with the diagnosis, there were moments of fear and uncertainty about what this meant for her future. At the same time, she felt slightly relieved because finally there was an explanation for the symptoms and the uncertainty around her Despite her fear, Marie decided to face her diagnosis with a positive mindset, refusing to let MS define her life or limit what her future entails. And she describes this attitude as essential in coping with the uncertainty and variability that MS brings. She added: 'I suppose, when he said it to me, it wasn't a surprise to be told I had it - at this point I had major symptoms and a 97 percent chance of having it. "Even though it's not a shock, it's just something it's very hard to get your head around, because MS is one of those things that obviously there's no cure for. 'The hardest thing to get my head around, was like, this is forever - and you know, there's no getting better. 'But now you hear people who are 70 and are doing great - you wouldn't even know they have it. It's a completely different diagnosis from 20 or 30 years ago because treatment has progressed so much." MS is known as a ' And Marie experiences this firsthand. Major warning signs of MS In May 2024, she began experiencing double vision while in December she had a major relapse where her left leg and arm went completely numb. Severely impacting her mobility, she needed a walking stick and began physiotherapy to regain some function. Fatigue remains one of Marie's most debilitating symptoms, as it does for up to 80 percent of MS patients. She also struggles with vision problems and cognitive symptoms like difficulty concentrating. Living with these symptoms has brought its challenges - causing her children to worry about her health, forcing her to leave her Still, Marie finds strength in her support system. Her husband Graeme, two sons and family have been a constant source of encouragement. And the mum-of-two has also connected with MS Ireland along with a childhood friend who lives with the illness. She said: 'My family are just absolutely wonderful - we've kind of been through a few things recently that aren't great, but we've just always been close. 'There's my husband Graeme, our two boys, my sisters, mum and dad - and we've always been a close family, but especially in these last few years. 'I can call them whenever I want, if there's anything going on I can call my parents or my sister and they would come - I know they would do it. 'I've also reached out to MS Ireland and through TikTok I've connected with an old childhood friend who also has MS - the support has been absolutely amazing.' Although she can't stress enough that she's no MS expert, Marie has recently made major lifestyle changes to try and gain back some control. WHAT IS MS? Multiple Sclerosis is a complex and often unpredictable In simple terms, it happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath - the protective coating around nerve fibers. This causes inflammation and damage that disrupt the messages the brain sends to the body, leading to a wide range of symptoms that can be overlooked. Statistics show it strikes Recent lifestyle changes Since May, she has adopted a vegan And she now talks openly about listening to her body, allowing herself to rest on difficult days and pacing herself to avoid burning out. One of Marie's biggest hurdles since her diagnosis has been discussing her MS publicly - and at first she feared stigma or being misunderstood. But she eventually turned to And this brave mum-of-two said she now hopes to use her platform to challenge common misconceptions about the illness. She added: "For the most part MS is a disability you can't see and if you know someone with it one day they could be absolutely fine and the next they're not. "A lot of people with MS suffer in silence and it is a very difficult thing to have. "Just because somebody looks okay doesn't necessarily mean that they are, and I suppose we all need to have a bit more empathy around that.' 4 The mum-of-two is refusing to let MS define her life or limit what her future entails Credit: Journalist Collect
