Pathologist appeals for U-turn by Harney over cervical cancer vaccine
Reported December 16, 2008
A leading pathologist has demanded the axed cervical cancer vaccine be rolled out in order to save the lives of the nation’s youngsters.
Professor John O’Leary said Ireland is now one of the few European countries which has failed to implement a vaccination programme against the killer disease.
His call comes as protesters are set to hold simultaneous vigils in Dublin and Cork next week to demand the vaccine plan is rolled out immediately.
Health Minister Mary Harney withdrew a promise that 24,000 12-year-olds would be vaccinated with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) by next September.
The minister claimed money was too scarce to implement the 10million plan although the cost is just 0.7 per cent of the annual 14billion HSE spend on health.
Miss Harney continues to resist mounting pressure for a rollout of the vaccine which results in an 80 per cent reduction in death rates from the disease when combined with screening.
The United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have all agreed to fund free mass cervical cancer vaccination programmes for young girls.
And now Professor O’Leary has joined the chorus of demands for the Government to do the right thing, adding weight to the Irish Daily Mail’s campaign to get the vaccine reinstated immediately.
Professor O’Leary, who is director of Pathology at The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital and professor of Pathology at Trinity College Dublin, stressed Ireland should have a vaccination programme, adding that the Government was not adopting a good approach to fighting what is a preventable disease.
Miss Harney claimed screening, which is currently being implemented, was more effective than the vaccine in the fight against the cancer. The professor said: “We are one of the very few European countries now that has not instituted a vaccination programme.”
He said the progress of anyone that has been vaccinated should be monitored. “It’s vitally important that we have a vaccine register of vaccinated girls and women so we can carry out proper disease surveillance,” he said.
An online Facebook campaign in favour of the vaccine takes to the streets of Dublin and Cork on Wednesday. More than 10,000 people have signed up to a Facebook Campaign calling on Minister Harney to reinstate the HPV vaccine programme.
The vigils will be held simultaneously at 6.30pm outside the Dail in Dublin and at Daunts Square in Cork City Centre next Wednesday.
Organiser of the event Shauneen Armstrong said: “We established the group because we believe that Minister Harney’s decision to not implement a programme for the vaccine is short sighted and deeply flawed.”
The minister defended the move again this week at a major All-Ireland Cancer Conference in Dublin stating that money for cancer control this year would primary concentrate on the national cervical cancer screening programme.
Professor O’Leary said: “I think to be fair it is disappointing that we have now decided not to proceed with the vaccine programme. Clearly that decision was made on a cost basis. I would hope and I would ask that we try and reconstitute the vaccine programme. Cervical cancer is an ultimately preventable disease through a combination of prophylactic vaccination in girls and also through cervical screening. You can not replace one with the other and prophylaxis is always better than screening. It’s better to prevent than to try and look for the abnormality after it has established itself.”
