Galway Bay fm newsroom - The HSE has been asked to address serious concerns over testing mechanisms for Lyme disease following a request by a Galway city councillor.
Councillor Padraig Conneely, who's a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum, says there are two strains of Lyme disease - a European and a US strain - but the tests used in Ireland can only detect one strain.
Councillor Conneely raised his concerns after a Galway woman claimed doctors here were unable to detect whether she had Lyme disease.
He claimed she then travelled to Germany, where she tested positive for the illness and is now being successfully treated.
The HSE says it uses the two-tier testing method recommended by the Centre for Disease Control in America, and Public Health England.
The health executive says an external quality assessment is carried out on the method four times a year, and it has been shown to be 100% successful with test specimens.
However, Chief Operating Officer Anne Cosgrove says she will consult with the HSE on a national level in relation to Councillor Conneely's concerns.
