A chara, – Anna Cannon of the Regret movement writes eloquently of the struggles of the young women and families she represents (May 20th). Indeed no one would deny the suffering experienced. The presence of a temporal relationship between onset of symptoms and vaccination is, however, simply a temporal relationship.
It is understandable, but unfortunate, that this temporal relationship has been extrapolated into definitive causation by some.
It is very clear from repeated trials and scientific evidence that the HPV vaccine is safe and effective in young women and indeed young men. It is of great importance that the safety of vaccines is underlined and that we continue as a State to provide the best preventive medicine to avoid the catastrophic consequences of vaccine-preventable conditions.
In the case of side-effects of the HPV vaccine, the evidence simply does not support a causal relationship with the tragic cases outlined by the Regret group.
There is no doubt that all citizens deserve appropriate treatment and care for their symptoms and illnesses and it is indeed very unfortunate that the Regret group feels that their loved ones are being underserved by the health service.
Nevertheless, conflating and confusing temporal correlation with causation is potentially harmful to far more citizens and we should continue to emphasise and promote the very positive health and societal benefits of vaccination. – Is mise,
Dr FREDERICK
N EASTERBY,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.