By Michelle Crean

A local councillor has been left angered by the Health Minister's comments claiming there was no need for people to travel abroad for Lymes Disease testing or treatment.

TREATMENT ABROAD: Karin O’Shea had no option but to receive treatment abroad for Lymes Disease.

In a letter to Kerry County Council in March, Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said that “there is no need for Irish residents to travel to other countries for diagnosis or treatment”.

However, his words have hit a sour note with Killarney Municipal District councillor Maura Healy Rae who has called on the Council at its meeting last week to write to the Minister asking if the current testing in Ireland at present can diagnose chronic Lyme Disease.

The Independent councillor, who has been actively campaigning for support especially for chronic cases of the disease, said his remarks have angered Lymes sufferers, many who have had no option but to go abroad to seek help.

One such case is St Brendan's College teacher Karin O'Shea who lives in Kilgarvan who raised over €66,000 via GoFundMe to help pay for her vital life-changing treatment in Germany.

"The Minister’s response has not only angered Lymes sufferers, their family and friends who are most aware of their debilitating symptoms, it also displays either a lack of understanding of chronic Lymes Disease on the Minister’s part or a refusal on the part of the Department of Health to acknowledge the inadequacies in relation to diagnosis and treatment offered to Lymes sufferers in this country," Cllr Maura Healy Rae said.

"The testing in Ireland currently, is able to diagnose those who have been recently infected but not those who have become infected over a long period of time. The Irish tests test for antibodies. People with chronic Lymes Disease have suppressed immune systems; their bodies often won’t produce any antibodies, therefore the test will show up negative for Lymes. This explains why so many people have been misdiagnosed with other diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, and Fibromyalgia."

The German tests - which costs €1,000, with intensive treatment in the region of €40,000 and the post treatment medication €500 a month - test the cells for the presence or previous presence of Lymes and therefore, is a more effective test, she added.

"The treatment currently available in Ireland is in antibiotic form and is effective for those who have been recently infected and before the disease has taken chronic hold. The intensive treatment needed for chronic Lymes sufferers is not available in Ireland.

"Really and truly, why does the Minister think any person would subject themselves to such intensive treatment at such an enormous cost abroad if they didn’t believe it to be necessary and critical to them in having any quality of life and to tackle their severe symptoms? In my view, the Minister’s response shows immense arrogance as it implies he knows better than a sufferer of Lymes."