Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response, which is very similar to one I received about two weeks ago to a written Parliamentary Question. We could argue until the cows come home about whether the vaccine works and what causes the side-effects. We will never know. I want to be very clear: I am not advocating for people to avail of or refuse the vaccine. I do not want to be responsible for someone not availing of a vaccine which could save her life down the road. However, it is necessary that people be aware of those who have said they suffered side-effects. I feel strongly about this because of the sheer number of people I have met who have linked the vaccine to their side-effects. In the case of the MMR vaccine it was proved that there was no link to certain side-effects, but that does not mean it is not possible with the HPV vaccine. I ask the Minister of State, who has responsibility for health promotion, to at least make sure that people are fully informed, not just in terms of what the manufacturers have stated but of the number of reported cases of possible links between the vaccine and side-effects. The least people deserve is to be fully informed in their decision-making on what they think is right for their daughters or what girls think is right for themselves.

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