Trust Calls For Urgent Review Of Immunization

Media Release

3rd April 2009

Stop School-based HPV immunization programme for urgent review

Women’s Health Action is joining calls by other health groups for an urgent review of the school-based HPV vaccination programme. ‘The signs are that this programme was rushed and the cracks are showing ‘ says Jo Fitzpatrick, Director of Women’s Health Action Trust. ‘ We need to slow down and do it right.’

The announcement by the Privacy Commissioner that she will investigate complaints about schools handing over personal information, including home phone numbers and addresses, to District Health Boards without notification or consent is welcome. Guidelines were developed by the Ministry of Health with the Privacy Commissioner’s input to support the implementation of the school-based phase of the vaccination programme . ‘We would like to see the guidelines adhered to and a system set up to ensure this. Serious questions need to be asked about why these guidelines have been ignored’ said Ms Fitzpatrick. ‘But this is only one of many problems emerging and we are calling for the programme to be delayed so we can get the fundamentals right.

Women’s Health Action is also calling for an urgent review of all promotional materials about the vaccine developed for the school based programme. The DVD being used in schools talks about informed choice but information is biased towards encouraging young women to vaccinate. For example, it fails to mention that New Zealand has a world class cervical screening programme and that screening identifies pre-cancerous cell changes so they can be treated. It also fails to mention that young women must still have regular cervical screening whether or not they receive the vaccine because the vaccine does not protect against all strains of the cancer causing virus. ‘This is a vital piece of information and if young women think that they are ‘protected for life’ by the vaccine then we could see more than 60 women a year dying of cervical cancer twenty years from now. ’ said Ms Fitzpatrick.

Young women are saying that the ‘information’ video is scary and our assessment of the programme materials is that they are one sided and coercive. Parents are saying that the pressure for them to sign the consent forms is enormous. ‘The use of “fear” and coercive tactics to promote a vaccine is unacceptable, and the reports starting to surface about the implementation of the HPV vaccination programme are very concerning’ says Jo Fitzpatrick of Women’s Health Action. ‘Urgent reviews of the programme and its supporting material are needed.’ said Ms Fitzpatrick.
ends

© Scoop Media