By the way . . . Why all girls should get the HPV jab

VACCINATION is an extremely emotive topic. When she is in the first year of secondary school, my daughter will be offered the HPV vaccine. I stand firmly behind it and won’t hesitate to consent. And now, thanks to a recent report, I’m even more confident in my stance.

I’ve always supported the HPV vaccine, not because the Government tells us to or a multinational drug company brainwashes us into believing it’s for the best. My support lies in the evidence. Who wouldn’t vaccinate their daughter against a cancer-causing virus? It’s a no-brainer.

Some 99.7 per cent of cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus, the so-called common cold of sexually transmitted infections. There are more than 100 strains, 40 of which affect the genitals. The virus is also linked to vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, and head and neck cancers. In fact, 5 per cent of all cancers are linked to HPV.

The sales pitch is compelling and the statistics support it — so what’s not to like about the vaccine? A lot, it seems. The antivac campaigners are vociferous about its side-effects. The case stories are terrible and I understand why you might decide to remove your teenage daughter from the vaccination list after reading them.

It seems heart-rending stories and hardhitting campaigns carry more weight than what is perceived to be ‘doctors’ orders’. The vaccine uptake is declining in Ireland, when the programme should be expanding to include boys.

I’m hoping a recent Scandinavian scientific paper might help to shift the balance. The research linked HPV immunisation histories with the medical histories of three million young women. No evidence was found for a causal link between HPV and the 45 medical conditions campaigners have cited against it.

This is good news for our girls and I hope it will encourage more parents to consent to this cancer-preventing jab. For any parent in doubt, before you say no, demand to know more. Make an informed decision, not an emotive one; your daughter will thank you in the long run.