AN ESSEX health trust has suspended its cervical cancer vaccinations for teenagers following the death of a 14-year-old girl.
James Hore
AN ESSEX health trust has suspended its cervical cancer vaccinations for teenagers following the death of a 14-year-old girl.
NHS North East Essex has stocks of the same batch of the vaccine which are the subject of an investigation following the death of Coventry teenager Natalie Morton.
The NHS North East Essex postponed its vaccination programme in local schools for two days as the only stocks it holds come from the same batch as used in Coventry.
Bosses said the move was a “precautionary measure” and the programme will resume tomorrow after new stocks have been delivered.
Tests on Miss Morton have shown the Cervarix injection she had was “highly unlikely” to have caused her death, but at this stage the suspension of the vaccinations in Essex remains in place.
Dr Mike Gogarty, NHS North East Essex director of public health, said: “I have every confidence in this vaccine and the safety monitoring.”
The Department of Health is advising parents or young people who are worried about the safety of any vaccine to speak to their GP or visit www.immunisation.nhs.uk for background information about the vaccination programme.
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