TD vows to fight for Lyme Disease care
TD for Sligo Leitrim Marc MacSharry says he wants to continue fighting to ensure that those suffering from Lyme disease in Ireland can get the required treatment without leaving the country.
“We want to raise awareness about Lyme disease and co-infection because there seems to be a non-acceptance by national authorities in medicine that this is as big a problem as it is,” MacSharry told The Sligo Champion.
The Fianna Fáil TD has been liaising closely with Sligo people who have been suffering from Lyme disease and campaigning to have sufficient treatment facilities here.
“The testing regime is non-existent here and there are many people who are suffering. The supports are not there and some people in the medical profession are quite dismissive of it.
“They allege that it is all in the mind which I just think is appalling. Dr. John Lambert in the Mater Hospital specialises in Infectious Diseases and he is on the right page.”
Marc and fellow TD Eamon Scanlon are working on an action group that they hope will eventually see people suffering with Lyme disease receiving the same care here as is available across the continent.
“So with Eamon Scanlon, we have proposed a cross-party action group, put together a list of actions, bring to Government and hope that they will provide the necessary support. It’s not something that will be of phenomenal cost. We’d like to have it in line with Germany and other countries who have more programmes. The reality is that with co-infection, people can be suffering with symptoms and then without a proper testing regime, it doesn’t show as being Lyme. Sadly there are people who are dismissive of it and keep putting it down to mental illness.”
‘Living with Lyme Disease’ airs on RTE One tomorrow ( Wednesday) at 10.40pm, and gives an excellent account into the lives of those who are suffering with the disease.