The Faculty of Paediatrics reassures parents of the proven safety and effectiveness of the life-saving HPV vaccine.

13 October, 2017

The Faculty of Paediatrics recognises the cancer preventing benefits of the HPV vaccine and strongly recommends that parents consent to have their daughters vaccinated.

Cervical cancer can and does occur as a direct consequence of HPV infection. Around 300 women in Ireland are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year; one third of them will die from the disease.

The proven efficacy of the vaccine is such that studies in Scotland, Sweden and Australia have shown that the risk of vaccinated girls developing cervical cancer has fallen by up to 90% compared to those who have not been vaccinated.

This is an opportunity to vaccinate girls against the very real risk that they could develop cervical cancer in later life. Given the very strong research evidence of the safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, the Faculty strongly recommends parents to consent to having their daughters vaccinated. As this year’s HPV vaccination programme is underway in Irish schools, it is vitally important that parents have access to accurate information from reliable and evidence-based sources. They should seek advice from their GP if they have any concerns.

Dr Raymond Barry
Dean of the Faculty of Paediatrics

The Faculty of Paediatrics is aware of the concerns some parents have about their child receiving the HPV vaccination and specifically the concern about long term symptoms with onset around the time of vaccination in a small proportion of recipients. However, no causal link has been found between the HPV vaccine and the reported symptoms.

This is an opportunity to prevent HPV infection and subsequent risk of cervical cancer and death down the line. At the moment, 6000 Irish women every year need treatment because of HPV virus. Up to 300 will get cervical cancer and 90 will die. I find those statistics horrifying. As a mother, I dread the thought that a child of mine might have to suffer from cervical cancer and its treatment. I know that the vaccine won’t prevent every one of those occurrences, but it will significantly reduce that risk. The HPV vaccine is a major step forward in protecting the health and lives of our young girls.

Professor Karina Butler
Consultant Paediatrician & Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist and Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee

Yvonne McCahill

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