State urged to introduce mass cervical vaccinations

SENIOR doctors have urged the Government to introduce a mass cervical vaccination programme in the coming budget.

In its pre-budget submission, the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, in conjunction with the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, said the vaccines should be made available for all 12-year-old girls.

The organisations said the mass cervical cancer (HPV) vaccination should be made available to 26,000 12-year-old girls next year and that it should be rolled out alongside the national cervical screening programme that is already in operation, CervicalCheck.

The groups said such a measure was necessary as the country has a serious cervical cancer problem and it would prove cost-effective in the long term, claiming the annual cost of HPV vaccination of all 12-year-old girls was estimated at€9.7 million in 2008.

Professor Walter Prendiville, vice president of the ISCCP and secretary general of the International Federation for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, said: “We are making the renewed case for mass vaccination on the principle that if our healthcare system is serious about reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality and making significant savings in healthcare budget in the longer term, it must now introduce mass vaccination in conjunction with screening.

“We also know that the Minister for Health is committed to this programme as she agreed to roll it out in September 2009, but had to withdraw that commitment due to budgetary constraints.”

Latest information from the National Cancer Registry, Ireland shows that 286 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007, 59% of whom were under 39 and 49% of whom presented with either stage 3 or stage 4 of the disease, where the cancer has spread into the pelvic wall and other organs.