Dr Leslie O’Looney , 2025-05-20 07:30:00
Welcome to this week’s issue of The Week in Medicine – a round-up of all the happenings in the world of Irish medicine
Labour Spokesperson on Health and TD for Dublin Central, Marie Sherlock, has called on the Government to urgently introduce a public information campaign, particularly targeted at parents and young people, on the serious dangers to mental health from HHC vapes.
“I am alarmed that the HSE has confirmed to me that it has not developed, nor is it planning to develop, any HHC vape prevention or awareness raising campaign for parents and young people. This is despite warnings raised by adolescent addiction services, the College of Psychiatrists, and the HSE itself on the dangers of HHC,” she said.
“We know from recent work by the College of Psychiatrists in Ireland that HHC has been taken by 20% of young people who seek the help of addiction services in Ireland. They report that this drug was not available before 2022.
Dr Leslie O’Looney, as envisaged by AI
“Worryingly, we are now seeing people presenting to hospitals and services with severe, HHC-induced psychosis because of HHC use. There are serious short and long-term impacts that HHC can have on people, particularly on young people’s mental health. Parents and young people must be made aware of these.
“The Minister recently confirmed to me in a parliamentary question that legislation has been drafted to include HHC as a Schedule 1 controlled drug. However, the Government must go beyond simply legislating, given the concerns regarding the serious risk of harm from this drug.”
While we agree wholeheartedly with the Labour TD, surely none of this would be necessary in a world where regular cannabis was legal? Who would be bothered with HHC if they could grow or buy their own supply?
Poitin was once very popular in Ireland and always had the mystique of ‘being illegal’, which is a draw for some people. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a bottle of it now, given that you can buy something a little better in Lidl with an actual company name on it.
In the meantime, the popularity of cannabis, and the ease by which it can be replaced by HHC in teenage groups makes any attempt to reduce its consumption extremely difficult. But no problem really – the government isn’t even trying.
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The 2022/23 School Attendance Report from Tusla, published recently, shows continued high levels of school absence and is an urgent warning sign which should not be ignored by the Department of Education, according to the Clean Air Advocacy Group.
The high level of absenteeism is being driven primarily by illness, and this should trigger immediate action to improve indoor air quality in schools to reduce the spread of common airborne infections such as flu, RSV, and COVID-19.
Illness consistently accounts for around 60 per cent of known absences in schools, and that remains the case in the latest report for the 2022/23 school year, with illness accounting for 61 per cent of known absences from Primary Schools and 59 per cent of known absences from Secondary Schools.
In the 2022/23 school year, absences from Primary Schools were 46 per cent higher than the 18-year average from 2003 to 2019. Absences of longer than 20 days were 128 per cent higher than the same 18-year average in Primary Schools, and 43 per cent higher in Post-Primary Schools.
Clean Air Advocacy Ireland is calling on the Department of Education to implement guidelines for schools to manage the air quality in indoor spaces such as classrooms, canteens, staff rooms, and toilets. Improving indoor air quality through monitoring, ventilation and filtration has been shown to effectively reduce the transmission of common airborne illnesses. We have the tools to minimise airborne pathogens and reduce the number of infections – through mechanical ventilation and air filtration – but we are simply not using them properly, or at all.
There is also existing legislation in Ireland which governs indoor air quality in workplaces, and schools are places of work for teachers, assistants, and other support staff. Employers, including school boards, have a legal obligation to monitor indoor air quality and to implement changes where the air quality is below acceptable levels.
“We know that many of these illnesses are spread via airborne transmission, so when children are packed into poorly-ventilated classrooms sickness spreads like wildfire,” said Kieran Ryan, a member of the group. “Infected children then bring the illness back to their own homes, and this seeds the further spread of illness within the community. If we can reduce transmission in schools, then we can reduce the overall burden of disease within our communities. It’s a win-win.”
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Not all construction work is equally enjoyable. For example, drilling a hole is boring, but fastening pieces of metal together is riveting.
Why is Monday so far from Friday, but Friday is so close to Monday?
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Yesterday, of course, is designated by WONCA as World Family Doctor Day. This year’s campaign—Building Mental Resilience in a Changing World—shines a light on the vital, often under-recognised role of primary health care in supporting mental wellness. Around the world, family doctors are helping patients navigate anxiety, depression, grief, and daily stressors.
Prof Christos Lionis and Prof Christopher Dowrick, of WONCA’s Working Party on Mental Health, argue that mental health care begins with human connection, and that family doctors are uniquely positioned to deliver it. They highlight the urgent need to invest in primary mental health care, and offer a hopeful vision rooted in evidence, global collaboration, and shared responsibility.
You can read their analysis here.
Happy (belated) Family Doctors’ Day!
