Archive for NEEPS North East Eco-friendly People's Site
 


       NEEPS Forum Index -> Views on the news
Maria

Schoolgirl dies after cervical cancer vaccination

Quote:
An urgent investigation has been launched after a 14-year-old girl died shortly after receiving a cervical cancer vaccination at her school.

Natalie Morton was a pupil at the Blue Coat Church of England School in Coventry, where she was given the human papilloma virus (HPV) jab yesterday. She was taken to Coventry University hospital, where she died at lunchtime.

A letter to parents posted on the school's website by the headteacher, Dr Julie Roberts, said a girl had suffered a "rare but extreme reaction" after being given the vaccine. The precise cause of her death remains unknown.

Three other girls from the school are reported to have experienced possible side effects of dizziness and nausea after receiving the Cervarix jab, which was given to female pupils as part of a national immunisation programme against HPV. Their symptoms were described as mild and none was taken to hospital.

Although no link has yet been made between Natalie's death and the HPV vaccine, NHS Coventry said it had quarantined the batch as a "precautionary measure" and had contacted the parents of other children at the school who may have been affected.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009...hpv-cervical-cancer-vaccine-death
andybebbington

they said on the news last night that this girl did have a serious undiagnosed underlining condition that certainly the case of the death but wouldnt know for sure if it had trigged or caused a reaction that led to her death till further testing was done
Townie

I read too that there were underlying problems, it didnt say what tho'

Its a wee shame
JamesB

I was aware of this story at the time and all the media interest.
What I have only just found out through a back issue of the new scientest is that the girl died from an existing condition (cancer).

What was worrying is that I didn't see this reported in the main stream news (or did I just miss it?). The issue being that the media are keen on the story when it breaks but never bother to follow up. Im sure the initial story must of put some people off vaccines which is obviously bad.
As was pointed out in an epidemiolgy lecture recented, the biggest killer 100yrs ago was infections eg TB and now it is CVD & cancer. Vaccines have obviously had a big impact on that.

James
Fia

Hear hear, JamesB. It isn't a story when there's a heartbreakingly sad (how must her parents be feeling?) yet simple explanation. Cancer seems everyday. Most of us know people battling it, and survivors - the ones it has taken remain in our hearts.

I was aware of the back story on this, but I have no TV through choice and do not buy newspapers. My news comes from R4, personal contacts and probably far too much time spent at the laptop.
Many newspapers are not worthy of the name imho. An amusing thing to while away a coffee break, possibly. Science is "boffins" and alarming headlines. (some notable exceptions e.g. Simon Singh).

To my mind, rational, controlled and peer reviewed scientific process is the way to make decisions from an informed basis. This, sadly, is not headline material.
Julie

I heard the news about her having died from cancer about 48 hours after the original story broke....on the tv news.
Wasn't surprised, it was too isolated a case to have been the vaccine, it didn't add up.
andybebbington

yeah i heard that to and thought i had posted it but was at the time my computer was playing up so prob got lost on its way to being posted
       NEEPS Forum Index -> Views on the news
Page 1 of 1