British Health officials stopped a vaccination program in the English city of Coventry today sept 29, 2009, after a 14-year-old girl died a few hours after being vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer.
NHS Coventry said it stopped the program for two days to give staff administering the vaccine training in how to answer questions from anyone concerned about its safety. “We fully expect to resume the program in the coming days,” the health authority said in a statement.
Natalie Morton died in a hospital Monday, a few hours after being the given the Cervarix vaccine, which protects against two strains of the human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer. She was vaccinated at her school in Coventry.
Ms. Morton appeared to be healthy before being given the jab. Caron Grainger, director for public health at Coventry City Council, said an autopsy will be carried out to see if there is any link between her death and the vaccine. Health officials also said they had quarantined the batch of vaccine given at the school.
The school principal, Julie Roberts, said a few other girls also reported being unwell after receiving the vaccine and some were sent home.
Britain's publicly owned National Health Service began offering the Cervarix vaccine to teenage girls last year, and more than 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been given out so far under the program. The virus is often transmitted through sexual intercourse and authorities wanted to give the vaccine to girls as young as 13 so they are protected by the time they become sexually active.
The cervical cancer vaccine is routinely administered to millions of young girls across Europe and North America. No safety concerns about the vaccines have been raised elsewhere.
“As with any medical intervention ... one can, on rare occasions, see tragic consequences,” said Professor Malcolm McCrae, virologist at the University of Warwick. “But overall this is an extremely well-tested vaccine which has been produced in response to a critical health issue — cervical cancer — a disease responsible for almost 1,000 deaths annually in the UK.”
Dr Pim Kon, medical director at GlaxoSmithKline UK which manufactures Cervarix, said it was working with the Department of Health and health regulators to investigate the case.
The cervical cancer vaccination program sparked controversy in Britain when it was first introduced. Some critics argued it would encourage girls to become sexually active at a younger age. “The vaccination program may give young people a false sense of security and lead them to think that, because they have been vaccinated, they are protected against the worst effects of sexual promiscuity and can, therefore, engage in casual sex without consequence,” said Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust charity.
Ms. Morton's death comes as doctors begin to give children a vaccine against SWINE FLU / H1N1 in a clinical trial. Doctors across England have begun administering one of two vaccines to 1,000 children between the ages of six months and 12 years. One of the vaccines is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and the other by Baxter. The trial aims to see which one is most effective on children.
NHS Coventry said it stopped the program for two days to give staff administering the vaccine training in how to answer questions from anyone concerned about its safety. “We fully expect to resume the program in the coming days,” the health authority said in a statement.
Natalie Morton died in a hospital Monday, a few hours after being the given the Cervarix vaccine, which protects against two strains of the human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer. She was vaccinated at her school in Coventry.
Ms. Morton appeared to be healthy before being given the jab. Caron Grainger, director for public health at Coventry City Council, said an autopsy will be carried out to see if there is any link between her death and the vaccine. Health officials also said they had quarantined the batch of vaccine given at the school.
The school principal, Julie Roberts, said a few other girls also reported being unwell after receiving the vaccine and some were sent home.
Britain's publicly owned National Health Service began offering the Cervarix vaccine to teenage girls last year, and more than 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been given out so far under the program. The virus is often transmitted through sexual intercourse and authorities wanted to give the vaccine to girls as young as 13 so they are protected by the time they become sexually active.
The cervical cancer vaccine is routinely administered to millions of young girls across Europe and North America. No safety concerns about the vaccines have been raised elsewhere.
“As with any medical intervention ... one can, on rare occasions, see tragic consequences,” said Professor Malcolm McCrae, virologist at the University of Warwick. “But overall this is an extremely well-tested vaccine which has been produced in response to a critical health issue — cervical cancer — a disease responsible for almost 1,000 deaths annually in the UK.”
Dr Pim Kon, medical director at GlaxoSmithKline UK which manufactures Cervarix, said it was working with the Department of Health and health regulators to investigate the case.
The cervical cancer vaccination program sparked controversy in Britain when it was first introduced. Some critics argued it would encourage girls to become sexually active at a younger age. “The vaccination program may give young people a false sense of security and lead them to think that, because they have been vaccinated, they are protected against the worst effects of sexual promiscuity and can, therefore, engage in casual sex without consequence,” said Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust charity.
Ms. Morton's death comes as doctors begin to give children a vaccine against SWINE FLU / H1N1 in a clinical trial. Doctors across England have begun administering one of two vaccines to 1,000 children between the ages of six months and 12 years. One of the vaccines is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and the other by Baxter. The trial aims to see which one is most effective on children.
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