Last week Cork County Council refused to even discuss whether we should write to the Minister for Health asking him why the HSE doesn’t distribute the manufacturers Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) with the HPV vaccine in our schools.

Here is a copy of the Notice of Motion they rejected.

The entire debate around the HPV vaccine seems to be controlled by drug companies and those they sponsor, even my asking a question was suppressed!

All medicines come with a PIL document, it explains what a medicine is, what it is for, how it should be taken, it also advises on possible side effects that might occur.

Even non-prescription medicines include a PIL document.

However, the HSE is distributing the HPV vaccine in our schools without including the manufacturers PIL.  Parents are deprived of important information when making decisions about their children’s health, no PIL means there can be no informed consent.  

Post vaccine, the absence of the PIL prevents parents from recognising adverse reactions when/if they occur, often leaving children more damaged than they might otherwise be.

Knowledge of the symptoms listed in the manufacturers PIL for the vaccine might prompt a parent not to expose a child already adversely effected to a second or a third stage of vaccination.

Parents should have full information, currently they do not.

Because the HSE deliberately does not distribute the manufacturers PIL they are complicit in damaging the children who experience adverse reactions.

Unfortunately, debate on this issue is compromised by the Pharmaceutical industry, who invest heavily to protect their market, billions of Euro are at stake.

In June 2013, following reports of significant numbers of adverse effects, the Ministry for Health in Japan withdrew its ‘active recommendation’ for the HPV vaccine.

According to Japan’s ‘Adverse Effects Following Immunisation Registry’, HPV vaccine (Gardasil) caused 3 times more adverse effects than any other vaccine. 

Vaccination rates in Japan have reduced from a height of 80% to just 1% now.  There are hundreds of cases going through courts with people seeking compensation for serious injuries caused by the HPV vaccine, some have been won.

Manufacturers and a lot of expert medical opinion claim huge success with the HPV vaccine, however, these claims are disputed by other experts and by the growing numbers of people adversely effected by it – about 1,000 in Ireland alone, 85,000 worldwide. 

Ireland may face liability cases, and a large compensation bill, as the HSE currently denies any serious adverse effects of the HPV vaccination and continues to promote it.

Looking at the scandalous way the screening programme for Cervical Cancer continues to be handled it is understandable that people might not trust the HSE.

The questions I wanted asked of the Minister in regards to the HPV vaccine need answers.