TD ‘pleaded’ with Harney not to scrap vaccination programme

A FIANNA Fáil TD has said he personally pleaded with Health Minister Mary Harney not to scrap a planned cancer vaccination programme for 12-year-old girls, suggesting the move would be “responsible for the loss of 50 to 100 lives”.

Despite the plea from medical doctor and former minister Jim McDaid, Ms Harney has so far resisted all pleas to perform a U-turn.

It was just last August when the minister announced the programme to vaccinate 12-year-old girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.