CASE STUDIES: Concerns over cervical cancer vaccine in Ireland

The Department of Health says it continually monitors the HPV cervical cancer vaccine following concerns about possible adverse reactions. Some 861 cases have now been reported to the health authorities.

Gardasil, the vaccine manufactured by Sanofi-Pasteur, is offered to girls from the age of 12 to protect them against developing certain strains of cervical cancer.

Speculation about potential adverse reaction to the vaccine has grown internationally, and this week, the European Medicines Agency launched a review of the cervical cancer vaccine’s safety, while asserting that the review should not raise questions about whether the vaccine’s benefits in preventing cervical cancer outweigh their risks.