Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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404. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to examine the pre-medical condition of girls claiming to be affected by the HPV vaccination in each of the years 2010 to 2016; his views on whether an injustice is being done to such a vulnerable group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15388/17]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the HPV controversy; his plans to meet the girls affected to discuss a resolution to this situation; his views on the case of these girls and their families and the major cost implications in receiving medical attention within and outside the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15389/17]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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406. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the fact that by continuing with the HPV vaccination programme there will be a further percentage of girls displaying serious medical difficulties if action is not taken now and in view of the fact that it is highlighted to all parties involved and may yet lead to a public inquiry at some date in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15390/17]

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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407. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the HPV controversy and the cost implication for the families in addressing their considerable medical needs; the structures he plans to put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15391/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 404 to 407, inclusive, together.

The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland comprising of experts in a number of specialties including infectious diseases, paediatrics and public health. The committee's recommendations are informed by public health advice and international best practice. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe continually monitor adverse events to vaccination. All relevant and appropriate information is taken into account when deciding to make changes to the State's immunisation programmes.

Each year in Ireland around 300 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine protects against two high risk types of HPV (16 & 18) that cause 73% of all cervical cancers. Vaccinated women and girls will still be at risk from other high risk types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer and will therefore need to continue to have regular cervical smear tests. NIAC recommended that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine be given to all girls aged 12-13 in 2009 and in September 2010 the HPV vaccination programme was introduced for all girls in first year of second level schools.

Gardasil is the HPV vaccine used in Ireland in the context of the HSE schools immunisation programme. In Ireland more than 660,000 doses of Gardasil have been administered and almost 250,000 girls have been vaccinated against HPV. Over 205 million doses of the HPV vaccine Gardasil have been distributed worldwide, either as part of national immunisation programmes or by private doctors. Gardasil is currently used in over 25 European countries, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

I am aware of claims of an association between HPV vaccination and a number of conditions experienced by a group of young women. An illness that occurs around the time a vaccine is given and is already known to be common in adolescence does not imply the vaccine caused the problem. It appears that some girls first suffered symptoms around the time they received the HPV vaccine, and understandably some parents have connected the vaccine to their daughter’s condition. It is important to reassure people that anyone who is suffering ill health is eligible to seek medical attention, and to access appropriate health and social care services, irrespective of the cause of their symptoms. The diverse nature of these symptoms, which can have both physical and psychological causes, are shared by many conditions which has implications for both diagnostic and treatment services. The individual nature of the needs of some children may require access to specialist services and the HSE are currently working to put in place clinical care pathways appropriate to the differing medical needs of this group. As there is no scientific evidence that the vaccine causes long term illnesses, the HPV vaccine cannot be held responsible for these illnesses.

It is important to counter misinformation in relation to the safety of vaccines, and to increase the uptake rates of all vaccines in the State’s immunisation programmes. The scientific evidence is clear and misinformation is causing real harm to those unvaccinated children and adults who develop vaccine preventable diseases, and to people who seek inappropriate treatments for real conditions that are not caused by vaccines.

The focus for the HPV programme in 2017 is to counter the misinformation in relation to the safety of the HPV vaccine, and to increase the uptake rate in girls as part of the schools immunisation programme. The benefits of HPV vaccines outweigh the known side effects. The safety of these vaccines, as with all medicines, will continue to be carefully monitored and will take into account any future new evidence of side effects that becomes available. I encourage the parents of all eligible girls to ensure that their daughters receive this important cancer preventing vaccine.