63 patients in hospitals face wait for beds
Fear over 40 harmful species set to strike Ireland this decade
Limerick hospital
A TOTAL of 63 hospital patients were left waiting for beds yesterday.
Nearly all of them faced delays in A&ES, while one was in another ward.
University Hospital Limerick had 20 patients waiting for beds while 14 were affected at Cork University Hospital.
A total of seven were impacted at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar.
St Luke’s in Kilkenny and St James’s in Dublin each had five affected patients.
The Mercy University Hospital in Cork, the Midlands Regional in Portlaoise and St Vincent’s in Dublin each had three people facing delays.
The number waiting for beds has plummeted since the Covid-19 outbreak.
UP to 40 alien species are due to arrive in Ireland in the coming decade, it has been warned.
And many will arrive through human contact, a leading conference has been told.
The Horizon Scanning Workshop featured the project Prevention, Control and Eradication of Alien Species and was attended by 23 international experts at Sligo Institute of Technology this week.
It heard how more harmful, environmentallydamaging freshwater, marine and terrestrial invasive alien species are expected to arrive on the island of Ireland through human activity within the next decade. The conference heard how in recent months we have witnessed the global spread of the Covid-19 virus.
But potentially dangerous animals and plants from other countries can also be spread by humans in many different ways, both intentionally and accidentally, it was claimed. When invaders arrive and successfully establish, many native species can suffer impacts and be displaced.
The conference was told how Ireland’s native biodiversity is under pressure from invasive species that are already here including Japanese knotweed and zebra mussel. studies indicate that with the
But increase in global transport and trade, many more are expected to arrive on our shores in the coming decade.
The top species were selected on the basis of probability of arrival, establishment and biological impacts. The list of 40 included 18 freshwater invaders, 15 terrestrial and seven marine species.
The North American signal crayfish was listed as the No1 species considered most likely to invade Ireland and cause significant ecological impact.
This particular species is the most widespread alien crayfish in Europe, is omnivorous, highly prolific, can live to 20 years and is adaptable to a wide range of environments. It also is a carrier of the crayfish plague, already a problem in Irish rivers and lake systems, and lethal for the Irish population of the protected white-clawed crayfish.
Prof Frances Lucy said: “Management of invasive species is challenging, requiring adequate and sustainable financial and human resources.
“Prevention of introduction is by far the most practical approach. This Irish Horizon Scan has identified the most likely invaders and their pathways of entry, enabling prevention management to be targeted in the most effective manner.”
Signal crayfish Roe Deer Killer shrimp Salmon fluke Quagga mussel Chinese mitten crab Pom-pom weed Warm-water barnacle Muskrat
Stone moroko
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