Case Of Ireland Research Articles

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 arising from international flights arriving in Ireland in December 2020: a descriptive analysis using national surveillance data

ObjectivesThere is limited evidence on the risk of in-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This study estimated the extent of in-flight SARS-CoV-2 transmission on international flights arriving in Ireland during December 2020. Study designThis was a cross-sectional analysis. MethodsNational surveillance data identified all notified cases of COVID-19 who were infectious while travelling on international flights to Ireland during December 2020. Close contacts of cases were tested for SARS-CoV-2, and the results were collated to estimate the pooled secondary attack rate across all flights. Laboratory and epidemiological data were obtained from the Health Service Executive Covid Care Tracker, a national database of COVID-19 cases in Ireland. ResultsA total of 165 infectious cases of COVID-19 were identified on 134 incoming flights; 40.0% were symptomatic on board. There were 2099 flight close contacts identified, of whom 40.9% had results of a SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test within 14 days of arrival. The pooled secondary attack rate for these contacts was 7.0% and was higher among those on flights of ≥5-hour duration (P = 0.008). More than half (59.1%) of close contacts had no SARS-CoV-2 test result recorded; the reasons included incorrect or absent contact details (26.5%) and no response when contacted (17.8%). ConclusionsIn this national study investigating transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from international flights arriving into Ireland, the pooled secondary attack rate was 7.0%. International travel is likely to have contributed to the third wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ireland in early 2021. Application of non-pharmaceutical interventions remains central to mitigating the risk of in-flight transmission.

Directive Principles, Political Constitutionalism, and Constitutional Culture: the case of Ireland’s failed Directive Principles of Social Policy

Directive Principles, Political Constitutionalism, and Constitutional Culture: the case of Ireland’s failed Directive Principles of Social Policy

The EU’s attitude towards the ECHR’s system in light of the EU’s climate ambition

Despite several attempts to access the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the EU is still not a Party to the Convention. However, this does not mean there is no interaction between the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). This article will analyse this interaction in cases related to environmental issues, primarily from the EU’s perspective. This objective includes the examination of the Bosphorus Hava Yolları Turizm ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi v. Ireland case where the so-called ‘Bosphorus criteria’ was declared according to which the EU law should provide the same level of protection of human rights as the ECHR in environmental protection. Furthermore, the article considers the EU’s ambitious climate goals and commitment to the Paris Agreement, the Carvalho and Others v. European Union case and the third-party intervention of the European Commission in the Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and Others case before the ECtHR.

Shaping the ‘inexplicable’: A social constructionist analysis of news reporting of familicide-suicide

Media framing helps to shape our understanding of the meaning of news events, often problematically. This study examines how this process interacts with the phenomenon of familicide-suicide, where a person kills one or more family members before taking their own life. A social constructionist analysis of the print media coverage of three high-profile cases in Ireland highlights framing and discursive patterns, contributing to an explanatory framework that is misleading and lacking in an evidence base. As well as a tendency towards broad and poorly supported claims-making, several primary causal frames are prevalent: mental health; financial debt; fall from grace; and ‘out of the blue’, whilst a domestic violence frame is notable in its absence. Coverage is found to be episodic in character, linked to dramatisation and more simplistic explanatory frames, rather than evidence-based analysis of potential causal factors for these incidents. Findings raise important questions for journalistic practice, regarding processes of selection and salience of sources contributing to overall coverage that is partial and biased, rather than an ‘objective’ representation of the social world.

Public Service Obligation Levy in the Context of Energy Sustainability and Security: The Cases of Ireland, Greece, Denmark and Lithuania

Energy policy affects the functioning of the economic and financial systems of countries worldwide. This paper provides a theoretical overview of the economy–energy nexus and discusses the particular cases of the energy policy dynamics amid the sustainability goals. This paper integrates multiple perspectives on the energy–economy nexus, with a particular focus on the energy trilemma, 4As of energy security and PESTEL approach. This allows the development of a comprehensive framework for the analysis of energy security and the sustainability interaction. A review of manifestations of the different dimensions of energy security and sustainability is carried out to identify the most topical facets of the issue. Then, the cases of the selected European Union countries (Ireland, Greece, Denmark and Lithuania) are presented to highlight the effects and features of the recent energy policy changes there. Indeed, these countries apply a PSO levy mechanism on electricity tariffs and are diverse in their geopolitical situation, economic development, geographical situation and energy dependency level. The analysis of the situations of such different countries applying the PSO levy mechanism makes it possible to perform a broader and more in-depth assessment and comparison of electricity tariff regulations. Thus, the developed theoretical model is applied to identify the major outcomes of the energy policy regimes (with a focus on tariff regulation) in the selected countries.

CONTEXT OF RELIGION SECURITIZATION: CASES OF ARTSAKH AND NORTHERN IRELAND

Securitization of religion, or consideration of religion within the context of the security sector, has returned to the Slovak and Serbian context in connection with the migration crisis. This paper is mostly theoretical, and the question of religious identity is categorized under the sector of societal security. Unlike other conflicts of identity, religion is polarizing, and religious conflicts feature the destruction of cultural heritage and religious monuments. Religious conflicts can be observed among both believers of different religious groups as well as among different denominations of one particular religion. The last section deals with the particular cases of Artsakh and Northern Ireland. In the former conflict, nationalism and overlapping territorial claims play a key role, but the later conflict can be better understood as a hierarchical ethnic conflict.

Puzzling choices in hard times: Union ideologies of social concertation in the Great Recession

AbstractUsing the cases of Ireland and Portugal during the post‐2008 Great Recession, we argue that unions' ideological formations around social concertation are central in aiding them to navigate their options about whether to engage in concessionary bargaining with government under crisis conditions. Building on Hyman's triangle of union identity, we show how an ideational perspective can complement interest‐based accounts of unions' strategies to explain their engagement with policymakers or their opposition in the macro‐management of the economy.

Numbers of close contacts of individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 and their association with government intervention strategies

BackgroundContact tracing is conducted with the primary purpose of interrupting transmission from individuals who are likely to be infectious to others. Secondary analyses of data on the numbers of close contacts of confirmed cases could also: provide an early signal of increases in contact patterns that might precede larger than expected case numbers; evaluate the impact of government interventions on the number of contacts of confirmed cases; or provide data information on contact rates between age cohorts for the purpose of epidemiological modelling. We analysed data from 140,204 close contacts of 39,861 cases in Ireland from 1st May to 1st December 2020.ResultsNegative binomial regression models highlighted greater numbers of contacts within specific population demographics, after correcting for temporal associations. Separate segmented regression models of the number of cases over time and the average number of contacts per case indicated that a breakpoint indicating a rapid decrease in the number of contacts per case in October 2020 preceded a breakpoint indicating a reduction in the number of cases by 11 days.ConclusionsWe found that the number of contacts per infected case was overdispersed, the mean varied considerable over time and was temporally associated with government interventions. Analysis of the reported number of contacts per individual in contact tracing data may be a useful early indicator of changes in behaviour in response to, or indeed despite, government restrictions. This study provides useful information for triangulating assumptions regarding the contact mixing rates between different age cohorts for epidemiological modelling.

분쟁에 의한 접경지역에서의 3자 개입에 따른 평화협력과 향후 과제: 키프로스와 북아일랜드 사례를 중심으로

본 연구는 분쟁에 의해 형성된 접경지역의 평화와 화해의 평화협력을 견인하는 3자 개입의 유형과 사례를 분석하여 그 의의와 한계 및 향후 과제를 제안하고자 한다. 키프로스와 북아일랜드는 단일 국가(영토) 내에서 민족적, 종교적 분쟁으로 각각 그린라인(green line)과 인터페이스(interface)라는 접경지역이 만들어졌으며, 3자 개입을 통해 평화협력을 견인했다. 키프로스는 UN의 UNFICYP가 군사적 개입을 단행했고, 북아일랜드는 미국과 EU가 경제적 개입을 통해 사회 인프라를 구축하고 평화 및 화해 협력의 길을 열었다. 접경지역에서의 3자 개입은 평화협력을 이끄는 데 선도적인 역할을 하지만, 개입을 철수 할 때 접경지역이 가지고 있는 본질적인 문제에 의해 평화협력의 노력이 수포가 될 위험이 크다. 폭력과 분쟁의 구조적인 문제들을 해결하고, 분쟁의 관리 및 예방하고 발전을 모색하는 적극적 평화로 나아가기 위해서는 보다 접경지역 중심적이고 다차원적인 방면에서 접경지역의 취약성을 연구하고 함의를 분석하는 것이 중요하다.

Antibiotic resistance among invasive Neisseria meningitidis isolates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2010/11 to 2018/19).

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), caused by Neisseria meningitidis, can have a fatality rate as high as 10%, even with appropriate treatment. In the UK, penicillin is administered to patients in primary care whilst third generation cephalosporins, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone, are administered in secondary care. The first-choice antibiotic for chemoprophylaxis of close contacts is ciprofloxacin, followed by rifampicin. Immunocompromised individuals are often recommended antibiotic chemoprophylaxis and vaccination due to a greater risk of IMD. Resistance to antibiotics among meningococci is relatively rare, however reduced susceptibility and resistance to penicillin are increasing globally. Resistance to third generation cephalosporins is seldom reported, however reduced susceptibility to both cefotaxime and ceftriaxone has been observed. Rifampicin resistance has been reported among meningococci, mainly following prophylaxis, and ciprofloxacin resistance, whilst uncommon, has also been reported across the globe. The Public Health England Meningococcal Reference Unit receives and characterises the majority of isolates from IMD cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This study assessed the distribution of antibiotic resistance to penicillin, rifampicin, ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime among IMD isolates received at the MRU from 2010/11 to 2018/19 (n = 4,122). Out of the 4,122 IMD isolates, 113 were penicillin-resistant, five were ciprofloxacin-resistant, two were rifampicin-resistant, and one was cefotaxime-resistant. Penicillin resistance was due to altered penA alleles whilst rifampicin and ciprofloxacin resistance was due to altered rpoB and gyrA alleles, respectively. Cefotaxime resistance was observed in one isolate which had an altered penA allele containing additional mutations to those harboured by the penicillin-resistant isolates. This study identified several isolates with resistance to antibiotics used for current treatment and prophylaxis of IMD and highlights the need for continued surveillance of resistance among meningococci to ensure continued effective use.

Re-conceptualising competitive victimhood in reconciliation processes: the case of Northern Ireland

ABSTRACT The literature on competitive victimhood (CV) tends be guided by a dichotomous interpretation based on a crude-binary distinction between CV and inclusive/common victimhood, with the former referring to conflict and the latter to reconciliation. For a fine-grained interpretation of CV, this paper aims to show that actors’ use of victimhood narratives can be understood through a richer conceptualization of CV. Observing that actors tend to use victimhood narratives with varying intensity of competitiveness, I propose a CV typology to illustrate narrative variation in conflict-to-peace transition. The typology is developed in a two-staged process, firstly, by analytically distinguishing five categories of CV and, secondly, by putting these categories into practice in the case of Northern Ireland through an analysis of party manifestos and personal interviews with local actors conducted in Belfast in 2018. The empirical results show that the typology is helpful for capturing the transitions of competitiveness in intergroup reconciliation.

Understanding the barriers to NET-ZERO transport for rural roads: a Northern Ireland case study

IntroductionClimate-related disasters have cost the world over £450 billion over the last 3 years. In the race to mitigate these effects, the UK government has committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. Transport provides the largest single sector contribution to CO2 emissions, the road network accounts for up to 91%. As the only UK country without a formal climate change bill Northern Ireland could compromise the overall effort.Case descriptionIn this research a survey of road asset owners, managers, academics, consultants, public transport providers was undertaken to seek to understand the current barriers to adapting a dispersed rural road network in Northern Ireland for net-zero transport. The survey data was collected though an online form with a combination of multiple choice and open ended questions. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyse the data collected which enabled a discussion around the key expert opinions gathered.Discussion and evaluationThe paper presents details of the current road network in Northern Ireland and highlights some of the issues faced by asset owners. The survey questions were developed though engagement with transport professionals in Northern Ireland and focus predominantly on road use rather than the impact of current land management practices or environmental conditions such as flood risk. The response highlights a clear enthusiasm for change in the operation of the public road network which is hindered by a lack of government strategy and limited public consultation.ConclusionsThe high response rate (41%) for the survey highlights the interest of those in the transport sector to engage in activities which can support a better understanding of how road networks contribute to CO2 emissions. Within the survey data a requirement for behavioural change was highlighted as a key step to reduce transport related emissions, the enthusiasm for change demonstrates this is the optimum time to engage with the public and develop clear transport strategies. More accurate findings and empirical evidence could have been established had the study considered specific, transport planning, environmental and land use conditions for Northern Ireland. This will be the focus of further research in this area to enable clear translation of the research to other countries.

Does high COVID-19 spread impact neighbouring countries? Quasi-experimental evidence from the first year of the pandemic in Ireland.

Background : Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has necessitated public health responses on an unprecedented scale. Controlling infectious diseases requires understanding of the conditions that increase spread. Prior studies have identified sociodemographic, epidemiological and geographic associations. Ireland offers an unusual opportunity to quantify how high infection rates in one country impacted cases in a neighbouring country. Methods : We analysed official statistics on confirmed COVID-19 cases on the island of Ireland for 52 weeks from March 2020. Our main research question was: Did higher cases in Northern Ireland (NI) impact the number of cases in the Republic of Ireland (ROI)? We used least squares regression to compare confirmed cases in ROI counties that border NI with the rest of the state. We included in our model sociodemographic, epidemiological and geographic factors. We employed the latitude of each county town as an instrumental variable to isolate a quasi-experimental estimate of the cross-border spread. Results : In the quasi-experimental framework, and controlling for population density, age distribution and circulatory disease prevalence, border counties had an extra 21.0 (95%CI: 8.4-33.6) confirmed COVID-19 cases per 1000 people. This equates to an estimated 9,611 additional cases in ROI, or 4% of the national total in the first year of the pandemic. Our results were substantively similar in non-experimental frameworks, with alternative additional predictors, and in sensitivity analyses. Additionally, population density in ROI counties was positively associated with confirmed cases and higher proportions of residents in the professional classes was negatively associated. Conclusion : On the island of Ireland during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, high infection rates in NI increased cases in the neighbouring ROI. Maximising co-ordination of pandemic responses among neighbouring countries is essential to minimising disease spread, and its associated disruptions to society and the economy. Socioeconomic disadvantage appeared to confer significant additional risk of spread.

Introduction—Stories of the old world: The Narrative Policy Framework in the European context

Introduction—Stories of the old world: The Narrative Policy Framework in the European context

Correction to: How Does Administrative Data Compare with Census Data for the Measurement of Internal Migration? The Case of Northern Ireland, 2001–2011

Correction to: How Does Administrative Data Compare with Census Data for the Measurement of Internal Migration? The Case of Northern Ireland, 2001–2011

Integrating environmental noise considerations into public policy: the case of Ireland

European Commission Directive (EU) 2020/367 describes how harmful effects from environmental noise exposure are to be calculated for ischemic heart disease (IHD), high annoyance (HA), and high sleep disturbance (HSD) for road, rail, and aircraft noise under the Environmental Noise Directive's (END) strategic noise mapping process. It represents a major development in understanding the extent of exposure from transport-based environmental noise given it is a legal requirement for all EU member states from the 2022 reporting round. It also has the potential to accelerate the development of stronger noise-health policies across the EU. While this development is to be welcomed, there are a number of basic noise-health policy applications that first need to be implemented in the Irish case if the noise-health situation is be accurately assessed and if public health is to be adequately protected. In order to address this requirement the following paper presents concrete policy and practice recommendations as well as an evaluation of the current application of noise management policy in Ireland which is administered to protect the public from the harmful effects of environmental noise. This paper provides guidance on how noise-health considerations can be integrated into key relevant areas of Irish policy including healthcare, the environment, transportation, and planning.

Does high COVID-19 spread impact neighbouring countries? Quasi-experimental evidence from the first year of the pandemic in Ireland

Background : Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has necessitated public health responses on an unprecedented scale. Controlling infectious diseases requires understanding of the conditions that increase spread. Prior studies have identified sociodemographic, epidemiological and geographic associations. Ireland offers an unusual opportunity to quantify how high infection rates in one country impacted cases in a neighbouring country.Methods : We analysed official statistics on confirmed COVID-19 cases on the island of Ireland for 52 weeks from March 2020. Our main research question was: Did higher cases in Northern Ireland (NI) impact the number of cases in the Republic of Ireland (ROI)? We used least squares regression to compare confirmed cases in ROI counties that border NI with the rest of the state. We included in our model sociodemographic, epidemiological and geographic factors. We employed the latitude of each county town as an instrumental variable to isolate a quasi-experimental estimate of the cross-border spread.Results : In the quasi-experimental framework, and controlling for population density, age distribution and circulatory disease prevalence, border counties had an extra 21.0 (95%CI: 8.4-33.6) confirmed COVID-19 cases per 1000 people. This equates to an estimated 9,611 additional cases in ROI, or 4% of the national total in the first year of the pandemic. Our results were substantively similar in non-experimental frameworks, with alternative additional predictors, and in sensitivity analyses. Additionally, population density in ROI counties was positively associated with confirmed cases and higher proportions of residents in the professional classes was negatively associated.Conclusion : On the island of Ireland during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, high infection rates in NI increased cases in the neighbouring ROI. Maximising co-ordination of pandemic responses among neighbouring countries is essential to minimising disease spread, and its associated disruptions to society and the economy. Socioeconomic disadvantage appeared to confer significant additional risk of spread.

The net contribution of livestock to the supply of human edible protein: the case of Ireland

AbstractIf current food consumption patterns continue, the agriculture sector must provide significantly more food in the coming years from the available land area. Some livestock systems engage in feed–food competition as arable land is used for livestock feed rather than as crops for food; reducing the global supply of food. There is a growing argument that to meet future-food demands sustainably, feed–food competition must be minimized. To this end, we evaluated the effectiveness of two refined metrics to quantify feed–food competition in three livestock systems; dairy and its beef, suckler beef and pig production in Ireland. The metrics are edible protein conversion ratio (EPCR) and the land-use ratio (LUR). The EPCR compares the amount of human digestible protein (HDP) in livestock feed against the amount of HDP the livestock produced, calculating how efficiently it produces HDP. However, the LUR compares the potential HDP from a crop system on the land used to produce the livestock's feed against the HDP the livestock system produced. In both metrics, a value <1 demonstrates an efficient system. The EPCR values for dairy beef (0.22) and suckler beef (0.29) systems consider them efficient producers, whereas pig production (1.51) is inefficient. The LUR values designate that only the dairy beef (0.58) is a net positive producer of HDP from the land used for its feed, with crop production producing more HDP than suckler beef (1.34) and pig production (1.73). Consequently, the LUR can be deemed to be more suitable to represent feed–food competition in livestock production.

Trends in obstetric emergency department attendance the first months of the coronavirus pandemic

Many medical disciplines reported a decline in patient attendance during the coronavirus pandemic. Our paper examines the effects that the coronavirus pandemic had on obstetric Emergency Department (ED) attendances in a tertiary maternity centre in the Republic of Ireland. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed on administrative data regarding the number of obstetric patients attending the ED from January to July in 2019 and 2020. These numbers were compared to the number of reported coronavirus cases in Ireland as released in official government publications. A paired sample t-test was carried out to see if there was a significant difference in attendance in the obstetric ED in 2020 compared to in 2019. When COVID-19 cases peaked at 17,377 in April 2020, ED attendance showed their largest decline of 27%. The cumulative decline in ED attendances from January to July in 2019 to 2020 was 13%. However, this decline was not found to be statistically significant. In contrast to other disciplines, the COVID-19 pandemic did not cause a decrease in obstetric ED attendance.

Population Mobility Trends, Deprivation Index and the Spatio-Temporal Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Ireland.

Like most countries worldwide, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has adversely affected Ireland. The aim of this study was to (i) investigate the spatio-temporal trend of COVID-19 incidence; (ii) describe mobility trends as measured by aggregated mobile phone records; and (iii) investigate the association between deprivation index, population density and COVID-19 cases while accounting for spatial and temporal correlation. Standardised incidence ratios of cases were calculated and mapped at a high spatial resolution (electoral division level) over time. Trends in the percentage change in mobility compared to a pre-COVID-19 period were plotted to investigate the impact of lockdown restrictions. We implemented a hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal model (Besag, York and Mollié (BYM)), commonly used for disease mapping, to investigate the association between covariates and the number of cases. There have been three distinct “waves” of COVID-19 cases in Ireland to date. Lockdown restrictions led to a substantial reduction in human movement, particularly during the 1st and 3rd wave. Despite adjustment for population density (incidence ratio (IR) = 1.985 (1.915–2.058)) and the average number of persons per room (IR = 10.411 (5.264–22.533)), we found an association between deprivation index and COVID-19 incidence (IR = 1.210 (CI: 1.077–1.357) for the most deprived quintile compared to the least deprived). There is a large range of spatial heterogeneity in COVID-19 cases in Ireland. The methods presented can be used to explore locally intensive surveillance with the possibility of localised lockdown measures to curb the transmission of infection, while keeping other, low-incidence areas open. Our results suggest that prioritising densely populated deprived areas (that are at increased risk of comorbidities) during vaccination rollout may capture people that are at risk of infection and, potentially, also those at increased risk of hospitalisation.