Cancer vaccine programme to go ahead

MagicMarker

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0115/vaccine.html

The Government has announced that cervical cancer vaccination is to be offered to 30,000 girls in first year of secondary school.

The Government had announced in August 2008 that girls aged 13-15 would be given the injection but later had to roll-back on that decision because of Budget cuts.

The original programme was to be administered to around 75,000 young girls at an estimated cost of around €10m.

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Today Minister for Health Mary Harney said the programme is now possible because vaccine companies have offered substantially better prices.

Around 90 women die from cervical cancer each year, making it the eighth most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in Ireland.

Two vaccines are available which prevent infection with the human papilloma virus, known to cause most cervical cancers.

Fine Gael Health Spokesperson Dr James Reilly said he welcomed the Minister's decision to introduce the vaccine.

Dr Reilly said: 'It is not often that I have cause to commend the Health Minister but I am happy to do so without reservation on her announcement today.

'A wrong has been righted and lives will be saved as a result of this initiative.'

Finally, a smart decision.

humanji

MagicMarker wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0115/vaccine.html



Finally, a smart decision.

I'm sure they'll f*ck it up somehow.

mikom

humanji wrote: »

I'm sure they'll f*ck it up somehow.

Probably use the same needle for everyone....

SeaFields

just heard Harney on about it on the radio there during the news.

Can somebody answer me this....

How the fcuk can the HSE negotiate the cost of this from €16m down to €3m?

Recession or not, at the original price, there were a load of snouts in a trough again. :mad:

Pighead

Great news. At last a bit of sense and leadership being shown. Reminds Pighead of the time the dealers in town finally saw sense and reduced the price of a pill from €6 to €3. Sometimes you have to forget about economics and do whats best for the people.

Mike 1972

The Government has announced that cervical cancer vaccination is to be offered to 30,000 girls in first year of secondary school.

1) Would it not be a good idea to offer it to all Girls in secondary school initially ?
2) Would there be any benefit in offering it to blokes too. I mean even if the virus has no ill effect on them (???) would vaccinating them stop them transmitting it to/between future partners ?

Pighead wrote: »

Reminds Pighead of the time the dealers in town finally saw sense and reduced the price of a pill from €6 to €3. Sometimes you have to forget about economics and do whats best for the people.

Did the quality not take a nosedive shortly after ?

happyoutish

I'll believe it when it ACTUALLY happens!!

ejmaztec

Probably no vaccine, just a placebo.

hooradiation

Mike 1972 wrote: »

1) Would it not be a good idea to offer it to all Girls in secondary school initially ?
2) Would there be any benefit in offering it to blokes too. I mean even if the virus has no ill effect on them (???) would vaccinating them stop them transmitting it to/between future partners ?

Well if you apply the idea of herd immunity to this, partial vaccination is only slightly less effective than no vaccination at all (which is why Anti-vaxxers are some of the most dangerously stupid people in the world, but i digress)

Usually i try to not hop on the AH "De gubberment are evuul and stoopid" bandwagon, but while this one is good news for some people, it's mostly a populist move.

I'd rather they hold on until they can roll out the vaccine on a large scale, but i guess some is better than none, if only slightly.

IvySlayer

90 women a year die from this?

arybvtcw0eolkf

They'll make a gee of it.

Mike 1972

ejmaztec wrote: »

Probably no vaccine, just a placebo.

In that case wouldnt cervical cancer rates shoot through the roof as teenagers embrace rampant promiscuity solely as a result of getting the vaccine* just as all the religious conservative nuts assure us they will.

* Or was that condoms. I really cant remember