Press release
Ministers for Health establish Strategic Advisory Group on Monkeypox
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan, have announced the establishment of a Strategic Advisory Group on monkeypox.
The Group will advise the Minister for Health and Government on how best to respond to the monkeypox outbreak, enhancing the significant work undertaken by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer and the Department of Health, the HSE, and the HSE’s multidisciplinary Incident Management Team (IMT), which was established when the international alert on monkeypox was first raised, and other relevant agencies and organisations, including significant stakeholder and community representation and engagement.
The announcement follows last month’s declaration by the World Health Organization that the monkeypox outbreak represents a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the health body’s highest level of alert.
The Strategic Advisory Group will review evidence and advise as appropriate in relation to surveillance and management of monkeypox at a national level; develop and implement a strategy to contain monkeypox; and provide oversight and assurance of the national response.
The Group will be chaired by the Interim Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth and its membership includes experts from multiple disciplines across including from public health, infectious disease and immunology fields.
Minister Donnelly said:
"Since the first monkeypox infection alert, Ireland has moved quickly to respond to the monkeypox disease outbreak. The Strategic Advisory Group will strengthen our response.
"My department alongside the HSE, HPSC, partner agencies and stakeholders have been working hard to help prevent and reduce monkeypox infections in Ireland. We have implemented a broad range of public health measures to control the disease outbreak and I look forward to furthering this work and broadening the many communications and engagement activities that have been undertaken to support those impacted by monkeypox."
Minister Feighan said:
"Ireland’s efforts to work with all agencies and stakeholders to support those impacted by monkeypox are to be commended and I welcome this Strategic Advisory Group as a useful monitoring and advisory support to our robust, ongoing response to monkeypox.
"Ireland’s communications campaign has been recognised by colleagues across Europe as a best practice example for risk communication and community engagement on monkeypox by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and was included in guidance documents for Member States published in July."
Prof Smyth said:
"The multidisciplined membership of the Strategic Advisory Group will play a key role in providing oversight and advice on the surveillance and management of monkeypox at a national level as well as the ongoing strategy to contain the outbreak, supporting our efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
"While anyone, regardless of their sexuality can get monkeypox, surveillance data indicates that almost all cases in Ireland, are in men who self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (gbMSM).
"It's important to be aware of monkeypox and its symptoms in order to protect ourselves and others. Symptoms include: a high temperature (380C or higher), muscle pains, swollen glands, exhaustion, headache, backache, shivering or chills. A rash usually appears 1 – 5 days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body.
"If you have symptoms of monkeypox or have been in contact with someone who has monkeypox, please contact your GP."
| Prof Breda Smyth | Chair - Interim Chief Medical Officer |
| Dr Colette Bonner | Deputy Chief Medical Officer |
| Dr Eibhlin Connolly | Deputy Chief Medical Officer |
| Dr Louise Hendrick | Deputy Chief Medical Officer |
| Dr Colm Henry | Chief Clinical Officer, HSE |
| Dr Cillian de Gascun | Director, National Virus Reference Laboratory, Consultant Virologist |
| Dr Derval Igoe | Specialist Public Health Medicine, HPSC |
| Dr Gregory Martin | Interim Director, HPSC and Consultant in Public Health Medicine |
| Dr Catherine Fleming | Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Galway University Hospital |
| Pádraig Burke | Communications Director, Gay Health Network |
| Richael Duffy | Immunisation & Infectious Diseases Unit, DoH |
| Prof Fiona Lyons | Consultant in Genitourinary and HIV medicine, St James’s Hospital |
| Dr Lucy Jessop | Director National Immunisation Office, HSE and Consultant in Public Health Medicine |
| Prof Karina Butler | Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee |
| Dr Ciaran Browne | Chair of National Crisis Management Team, HSE |
| Deirdre Watters | Press and Communications, DoH |