Cancer body prepares to give Harney its verdict on vaccine scheme for girls

MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney is awaiting two reports before making a decision on the introduction of a national cervical cancer vaccine.

No decision would be taken on the issue until the reports from the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) were received, the minister's spokesman said last night.

A third report, a cost-benefit analysis by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), has been forwarded to the NCSS. A spokesman for HIQA refused to comment on reports that its study recommends the introduction of an immunisation programme for all girls aged 12 to 15. The NCSS board is to meet in the coming weeks to make a recommendation to the minister.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 45 worldwide, claiming 70 lives a year in the Republic. Some 180 new cases are diagnosed each year.

Fianna Fáil and the Greens promised in the Programme for Government to introduce the vaccine as a universal health measure if it was recommended by experts.

Ms Harney asked the NCSS and NIAC to examine the issue, and last autumn they requested HIQA to compile a report.

Cervical cancer is primarily caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted infection. Some 80 per cent of sexually active women get an HPV infection at some stage in their lives.

For most people, HPV does not cause a problem and goes away on its own. However, in some cases, if left untreated, certain high-risk types of HPV can lead to cervical cancer. The vaccine protects against the virus and therefore reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Two drug companies, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, market HPV vaccines under the trade names Gardasil and Cervarix respectively. Both protect against the two most common cancer-causing HPV types, responsible for 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

From September, all schoolgirls aged 12 and 13 living in the North will be offered a free vaccine against cervical cancer. The UK programme is predicted to save at least 400 lives a year in the future.

Studies show that the vaccine, which is given in three injections over six months, is most effective in girls before they become sexually active.