Schoolgirl, 14, dies hours after cervical cancer jab

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 01:15

AN URGENT investigation is under way after a schoolgirl died yesterday, having been given a cervical cancer vaccine at her school.

The 14-year-old pupil received the HPV jab at the Blue Coat Church of England School in Coventry as part of the national immunisation programme to protect young women against the disease.

The death follows concerns raised about the drug's use in Scotland earlier this year. The Scotsman revealed in June that 150 girls had suffered an adverse reaction after receiving an injection of Cervarix, which was introduced last autumn.

Following the girl's death in hospital yesterday, the batch of Cervarix allocated to the school was quarantined as a "precautionary measure".

Dr Caron Grainger, joint director for public health for NHS Coventry and Coventry City Council, said: "A 14-year-old girl took ill at a school in Coventry and was taken to University Hospital in the city, where she later sadly died.

"Our sympathies are with the girl's family and friends at this difficult time.

"The incident happened shortly after the girl had received her HPV vaccine in the school.

"No link can be made between the death and the vaccine until all the facts are known and a post-mortem takes place.

"We are conducting an urgent and full investigation into the events surrounding this tragedy."

In Scotland, the jab is offered to all S2 girls and those in S5 and S6 in a catch-up programme.

However, concern about the vaccine has resulted in a call on the Scottish Government to review the programme.

Critics claim the guidance sent by the Scottish Government to parents about the 64 million programme was vague and misleading. Earlier this year The Scotsman revealed the information had been changed in several respects before being released.

And in the wake of the high incidence of side-effects, independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald has called for further investigation into the vaccine.

International Coalition of Advocates for People – a group raising concerns of the safety and efficacy of Cervarix and its rival, Gardasil – asked Scottish politicians to follow the lead of Germany and demand evidence for the jab's efficacy and safety.

Yesterday, in a letter to parents posted on the Blue Coat CofE school's website, headteacher Dr Julie Roberts said a girl had suffered a "rare but extreme reaction" after receiving the vaccine.

She added: "A number of other girls also reported being unwell and some were sent home.

"If your daughter has received a vaccine today, we ask that you are extra vigilant regarding any signs or symptoms.

"The most common adverse reaction after the HPV1 vaccine is pain at the injection site. Other reactions reported include headache, muscle pain, fatigue and a low-grade fever."

The HPV vaccine protects against two strains of human papilloma virus that cause more than 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer in women.

According to the NHS, Cervarix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, underwent "rigorous safety testing" as part of the licensing process. More than 1.4 million doses of Cervarix have been given in the immunisation programme, GSK said.