By: Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner
31 August 2010
In a letter to this newspaper, Fr Eamonn McCarthy, a curate in Coachford, questioned whether the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine for secondary school girls merely offered a false sense of security, and said “mother nature” like “mother church” was not being heeded.
“At best, the vaccine, like the condom, will only reduce the risk of infection (for four of the 100 or so strains of the virus),” he said. “It offers no guarantees against cervical cancer. Regular smear tests have always proved the best means to detect early signs of cancerous cells and will continue to be recommended in spite of the vaccine.”
He queried how well the product had been tested, what the long-term effects were and whether it had so far prevented one case of cervical cancer.
“A quick surf on the internet yields enough scary evidence to suggest that parents should think very carefully before allowing their young daughters to receive Gardasil, the HPV vaccine,” he said. “Thousands of adverse side-effects have been reported and, worldwide, up to 80 deaths among otherwise healthy young women have been allegedly linked to it. Two states in India have halted the vaccine.”
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