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DOCTORS RECENTLY PASSED a motion calling on the HSE and the Department of Health to help them convince parents of the need to get their children vaccinated.
This is following on from reports from public health doctors that there has been a drop off in the number of people willing to sign their daughters up to a vaccine that can help to prevent cervical cancer.
At the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) annual conference two weeks ago, public health doctor Ann Hogan tabled the motion which was unanimously passed.
Dr Hogan said that she had noticed in her area that there had been a significant drop-off in the number of parents willing to sign their children up to receive the second dose of the vaccine at the beginning of this year.
This she attributed to recent media coverage, which highlighted cases that linked the vaccine to a number of side-effects.
Late last year, various media outlets (including this publication) highlighted the cases of over 130 girls and their families who claimed that their daughters had become ill after having received the vaccine.
The parents and their daughters, many of whom are members of an advocacy group named REGRET (Reactions and Effects of Gardasil Resulting in Extreme Trauma), also had their efforts to find out what was the cause of their daughters’ illnesses chronicled in a documentary entitled Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Is it Safe?, which aired on Tv3 on 14 December.
On 3 December 2015, representatives appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children. Their concerns and issues were raised in the Dáil by TDs including Maureen O’Sullivan and Michael Moynihan.
“Our lives were never the same following the Gardasil HPV vaccination of our daughters, with years taken from them, their parents, siblings and grandparents,” REGRET spokesperson Anna Cannon told the committee in her opening address.
We have been given no answers, guidance, or hope.
The group says that their children were never the same after having received the vaccine, and that their concerns have been ignored by the medical establishment.
The medical establishment, for their part, deny that the vaccine has anything to do with these illnesses.
So what is the HPV vaccine and is it safe to give to children?
The HPV vaccine
There are two common HPV vaccines available for use in Ireland – Gardasil (which is the official vaccine used by the HSE) and Cervarix.
They protect against specific types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) – a common virus that generally spreads through sexual contact with an infected person.
There are over 100 viruses that fall within the HPV group, and while many are relatively harmless and don’t require treatment, two types (16 and 18) cause seven out of 10 of all diagnosed cervical cancers.
Gardasil helps to prevent against these types of HPV and as a result helps to prevent cervical cancer in women.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women in Europe. It kills an estimated 100 women in Ireland every year and an estimated 250,000 worldwide.
Following recommendations from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), which advises the State on vaccines, the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) was introduced to the national immunisation programme.
It has been offered to girls in first year in secondary school since September 2011.
It is estimated that almost 200,000 girls in Ireland and more than 80 million girls and women worldwide have received the vaccine.
It is currently in use in over 25 European countries, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Denmark switched from using Gardasil to Cervarix in recent years. Japan also removed the vaccine from general use following complaints about possible negative side-effects (however, these have yet to be independently linked to the vaccine).
“I suppose we have noticed in the area where I work in the Mid-West, [that] a number of parents have withdrawn consent for a second dose of HPV vaccine this year,” Dr Anne Hogan told TheJournal.ie.
Now I have spoken to a number of parents… and most of them are referring to media coverage of the vaccine linking it to chronic after-effects.
For Dr Hogan, however, as with the vast majority of doctors, there is no question: Gardasil helps to prevent cervical cancer and saves lives.
Despite anecdotal evidence of a number of chronic conditions and illnesses said to be linked to the administering of the vaccine, there has never been a proven cause and effect link.
The safety of the vaccine has, for example, been confirmed The World Health Organisation, which states:
Data from clinical trials and initial post-marketing surveillance conducted in several continents show both vaccines to be safe.
It carried out a review of evidence surrounding a link between the HPV vaccine and two illnesses commonly associated with it - complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) – and found no link.
The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety which regularly carries out reviews of vaccines’ safety, has also stated that Gardasil is safe.
In a March 2014 review it said:
While safety concerns about HPV vaccines have been raised, these have systematically been investigated: to date, the GACVS has not found any safety issue that would alter any of the current recommendations for the use of the vaccine.
The safety of the vaccine has also been assured by Ireland’s National Immunisation Advisory Committee, the HSE, and the Health and Products Regulatory Authority.
It has been defended by the medical establishment in Ireland as well as in the Dáil by the Minister for Health.
In statements to TheJournal.ie, the HSE and the Department of Health both reiterated their support for the vaccine, stating that it was proven to save lives.
The illnesses
The fact remains, however, that over 150 Irish girls (up to as many as 320, according to REGRET) and their families have come forward in recent years with claims linking the Gardasil vaccine to chronic after effects and long-term illnesses.
Many of these accounts are highlighted on the REGRET website, and in general they outline the stories of previously healthy and active young girls who became ill after having received the vaccine and who never properly recovered.
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, TV3 said that their documentary was “a balanced look at the HPV vaccine”.
The question around its safety is asked within the documentary due to the growing number of young girls in Ireland who feel that their symptoms are directly related to the vaccine.
Among these families’ many concerns, they generally state having key issues with:
When asking a parent’s permission for their child to be given Gardasil, the HSE provides a leaflet with information on the vaccine as well as a list of potential common side-effects. It also refers them to the HSE website for further information.
The REGRET group have repeatedly asked for a more comprehensive information leaflet to be provided, and members state in numerous interviews and testimonies that in many cases the side-effects experienced by their daughters are listed on the original product information leaflet from the manufacturer, but not in the HSE handout.
The full list of possible side-effects is also provided on medicines.ie. It includes (among others):
Despite the alarming nature of many of these side-effects, they are listed as “side effects that have been reported during marketed use”, meaning that they were not reported in clinical trials but only since the vaccine has become available for public use.
As explained on the UK NHS website:
It is not possible to reliably estimate how frequently other side effects occur. This is because information is received from people reporting side effects themselves, rather than controlled, clinical tests.
The rarest side-effect reported from clinical trials (fewer than one in 10,000) is restriction of the airways and difficulty in breathing.
Other effects reported to be linked to the virus are chronic fatigue syndrome and the above mentioned CRPS and POTS.
However, again, after much controlled research there has been no causal link established between these illnesses and the Gardasil vaccine.
Vaccine safety and testing is an ongoing concern for medical agencies and governments around the world. It is always being reviewed and updated.
As always stated, no vaccine is entirely safe, but at this stage there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Gardasil shouldn’t be administered.
There is no proven indication as of yet that the illnesses recorded in people who have received the Gardasil vaccine are any more frequent than the same illnesses in the wider population.
So is Gardasil safe?
Frequently studies are used to try to prove the ill-effects of Gardasil.
However, many of these studies fail to properly outline their methods, are not properly controlled and and are improperly peer-reviewed.
One website frequently used to back up claims about the dangers of the HPV vaccine is Sanevax.org, which purports to deliver unbiased studies which show the harmful effects caused by its administration.
However, a number of these studies are not scientifically sound. For example, the top study on the page was removed from the US Government’s public research website (PubMed) for “serious concerns regarding the scientific soundness”.
Again, it is the wide-ranging studies, supported by the main health bodies of the world, that lead the charge in terms of research into the vaccine.
Dr Ann Hogan firmly believes in the effectiveness and the safety of the HPV vaccine.
“This is a vaccine that helps to prevent cancer of the cervix,” said Dr Hogan.
If we have a vaccine that can prevent up to 70% of cases of cancer of the cervix I think it is a shame if young girls can’t avail of it and be protected if protection is available.
For the dozens of families and young girls that say the vaccine has ruined their lives, however, the answers aren’t so clear cut.
Dr Hogan states that illness and conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome can have no clear cause and can difficult to understand – however, as she repeatedly states:
There is no scientific evidence that links these conditions with the HPV vaccine.
Those who feel their lives are ruined in the wake of receiving the vaccine may never find the answers that they are looking for; however as long as Gardasil is proven to save lives by preventing cancer, and as long as studies continue to show that it is safe, then health professionals will advocate for its continued use.
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Anyone who genuinely is interested in supporting the force should want the bad ones removed, but we never hear the good stories. I’d like to tell a good story. One night my sister complained to a neighbor that his truck was parked in a way that blocked the street. He slashed her tires then ran after her husband with the knife. 6 Minutes later a van arrived. Prior incidents left my sister with zero faith in the Gardi and she told them that to their faces
The senior one gave her his personal mobile and told her if she was scared at any time to call him. He then walked closer to her, looked her in the eye and with a kind of steely determination said ”I’m not like the one you met on the road, I’m going to do everything I can to restore your faith in us”. He sent help every single time (in one case an armed colleague) to her house when the guy did some things to intimidate her.
They’d done a good job with our statements and talking to the judge to the point where as the senior officer said ”ok I’d like to call…” the judge said ”not necessary, this ones easy”. He terminated the guys license (thus livelihood) and sent him to prison for a year. I could tell 1-2 bad stories too, but they get heard on their own.
We sat there in a weird kind of shock, Jesus we actually got justice…
It should also be taken into account here that the legislation being utilised by Gardaí in these circumstances is completely out of date and from another era entirely. The politicians are quite happy to let the Gardaí take the flak here but many of these problems have been caused by a lack of political will to provide strong legislative support to our police to deal with such situations.
I once stopped a fella beating the bejasus outta his misses in town, she thanked me by jumping on my back and helped him beat me! Domestics are mad Ted!
Yeah you guys are right in a way, it’s hard to know how your intervention will be received and domestic violence is not always black and white. However, in these cases, the person being assaulted asked the gardai for assistance. They weren’t given that help. In fact as once of the case studies states, they were told not to ask for help the next time. Regardless of the type of assault the guards have a duty to protect us once a then call is made. Domestic violence is particularly abhorrent as the victim is left with the abuser in their own home, the guards should treat that situation with more gravity, not less.
The worst assaults happen behind closed doors not on our streets..
Actually I don’t want to hear about the good individuals in the force, I want the entire lot to change. If I was to say the one thing that had to go it would be arrogance. In my experience they treat the public like we are idiots and they treat victims like they are criminals. That’s a feature and an attitude throughout the entire force.
Really? You’ve met all 13,000 guards eh?
“DV is often reciprocal. in other words there are 2 of them in a relationship at it.”
I don’t know why this comment was downvoted, the real statistics are that DV is around 60% reciprocal, with the remainder evenly split between men and women.
the biggest problem with domestic cases is probably the reluctance of the witnesses.
There is obviously a serious issue regarding DV, and the follow up of reporting same, in our country and I’m glad this report has highlighted the issue. However, I think the Gardaí get a lot of unfair criticism in general. I must say any dealings I have had with Gardaí have been mostly positive.
By far the most serious issue is the massive underreporting of female on male domestic violence.
Nothing will change because laziness and a couldn’t care less attitude is systemic in the entire organisation . Too many senior gardai paid big salaries and do nothing and nobody oversees what exactly they contribute to policing
Proper investment in reorganisation, infrastructure and new management (why waste time training dinosaurs?) will give us a police service we can be proud of and one we can all respect.
The men and women who serve us need to have confidence that their efforts are recognised, and that the old method of district policing where the senior ranks play sheriff needs to be eliminated.
It’s a small country. Do we really need that many divisions?
Once there are children involved,social workers should visit unannounced!! So many children have fallen through the net, it makes me sick!!
Well maybe, but this would face a lot of backlash too, as it would be seen as increasing the rights of social workers to interfere with families.
What exactly is the problem with saying there’s two of them in it?
Depends on who you say it to and whether you use it as an excuse to avoid dealing with the situation. It’s dismissive, that’s the problem.
There is no problem with it but when an arrest is made it is usually a male who is arrested which is what feminists crave.
The other fact which they ignore is that almost 60% of all domestic abuse is mutual.
lol…
Bandon Garda station have some really interesting tapes.
just doin me duty…
Thanks Snorre,
Hang on to those tapes for me, could get awkward if they went on the missing list.
those idiots should be sacked for negligence
i can’t believe most of the comments here, i was ready to go on how the guards treat women and dv but to see most people agreeing with the guards blaming the women saying ah if you jump in SHE’LL only start hitting you and the one that realy annoys me i bet ye she hits him and the dont annoy him let him sleep it off. No wounder the guards dont think domestic violence is a crime when most of society in ireland doesnt think its a crime,Its a sad day for me today to reliase this as the people i know are disgusted by this yet most comments here does not reflect that, i realy thought ireland had grown up.
More gutter press journalism, you’d get more accurate unbiased news in the Beano than The Journal.
Actually I think this series is quite refreshing and it’s probably the only outlet that could report this way. Can you see the times being effective? We have a problem with the police force. No harm in shining a light on it.
Hard to say whether it isn’t around as much today maybe, but there has always been an inherent inner hidden aggression in the Irish psyche I think. We can flip from smile to punch in the blink of an eye, especially the older generations. That Oirish overly friendly thing was always a bit of a fake psychotic act I thought. How people act when the doors are closed is something else entirely.
I love Ryan Carrols story
What a safe place to be to post comments like two sides to every story , pair if them in it, etc ,, this attitude leaves the victim male or female with even less hope and more insecurity , but it makes on lookers feel comfortable and allows abuse to become a way of life , some times it’s important to reach out that little bit more
The majority of domestic violence incidents are reciprocal, whether you like it or not.
Interim Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan said she was aware that some victims had felt let down by the gardaí.
Robert Olson, Chief Inspector of the Garda Síochána says, We had about 11,000 domestic violence incidents and there were only 287 cases where somebody got arrested. That needs to be looked at very closely, we’re concerned about that.”
Kindly get a grip Noirin,,,,,,,, According to the figures given above, the ”Some victims” that you are referring to shockingly relates to 10,713 reported incidents of Domestic Violence for which there was no arrest.
How in God’s name can you even stand there and try to play down such an enormous figure to make it sound like only a handful of people were affected?
I think you’ll find that these figures speak for themselves,,,
It is my own personal opinion that for even just 1 incident of Domestic violence it should be enough to see the perpetrator charged and face the prospect of jail!
The problem is that the new legislation they wish to bring in here is deeply anti-male.
All abuse is wrong and over 50% of all IPV is against males, yet the new proposed legislation is named,
“Violence against women”.
Wake up and see that this feminist mindset will ultimately cause more heart ache than anything else.
have your say