A VACCINE to guard against the most common strains of the virus that causes cervical cancer should be given to all 12-year-old girls in the State, according to a report published yesterday.
The report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), following a cost benefit analysis of the new vaccines which protect against about 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer, recommends it be given to first years in secondary school and that, on a once-off basis, a catch-up programme of vaccinations should be given to all 13- to 15-year-old girls.
It says the annual cost of vaccinating 12-year-olds - some 31,000 of them - will be €9.7 million, while the catch-up programme for about 93,000 girls in the 13- to 15-year age group will be €29.2 million.
The vaccines would be given as a course of three injections over a six-month period and Hiqa is hoping for at least an 80 per cent uptake. The cost per child would be about €390.
"A school-based programme was recommended to try and maximise the number of children that would be vaccinated," the report says.
"A programme that looked at the first year of secondary school rather than the last year of primary school was preferred in consideration of potential parental concerns and for logistical reasons; for example, there are far fewer secondary schools than primary schools," it added.
It is not yet known whether a booster vaccine will be required for these girls in 10 years' time. This is because, as the report puts it, the long-term efficacy and safety of the vaccines "has not yet been established in clinical trials longer than five years".
It will now be up to Minister for Health Mary Harney whether to adopt the recommendation. A spokeswoman for Ms Harney said she intends to make her decision this summer. Even if the vaccine is introduced, Hiqa stressed that a national cervical cancer screening programme will still be necessary, as vaccines do not offer protection against all types of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer.
"Screening is also essential to protect adult women who have not been vaccinated.
"Therefore, it is important that women are informed and motivated to attend for screening when invited to do so, even if they have received a HPV vaccine," the report said.
It also points out that the cervical cancer vaccine would be a long-term investment "as the initial costs of vaccination will only be offset by improved health outcomes and treatment savings 15 to 30 years in the future".
In addition, it says, the total average life years gained per vaccinated group each year would be just over 400.
Cervical cancer is the 8th most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the State. About 200 new cases were diagnosed in 2004 and over 90 women died of the disease that year.
A national cervical cancer vaccination programme is currently in place in Italy and France, and one is due to begin in Britain in September.
The reason the vaccine is given at an early age is because it is most effective when given before a girl becomes sexually active. HPV is transmitted mainly through sexual contact.
There are currently two licensed vaccines on the market - one made by GlaxoSmithKline, the other by Sanofi Pasteur - but Hiqa has left it up to the Minister to decide which one should be offered following a tender process.
Dr Tracey Cooper, chief executive of Hiqa, stressed that the vaccine saves lives. But she said there would need to be ongoing comprehensive monitoring of it. Research to date, she says, indicates the benefits of the vaccine outweigh any disadvantages.