Catholic school refuses to allow girls to have cervical cancer vaccine on school grounds

A Catholic school in Britain has refused to allow girls attending the school to have the cervical cancer vaccination on its premises.

The school, St Monica's RC High School and Language College in Bury, Greater Manchester, has banned girls from receiving the cervical cancer vaccination Gardasil on school grounds.

According to Monsignor John Allen, the school governors have defended the decision on the grounds that the school is not the right place for the three injections to be administered.

Monsignor Allen says the decision is not a moral judgment on the vaccination but rather a question of where this vaccination should be given and how it should be given.

According to the school a pilot study of the vaccine at a local clinic resulted in a number of girls being absent from school the following day or being sent home from school suffering from dizziness, nausea, joint pain, headaches or high temperature.

The school governors believe parents will want to do their own research into the vaccination and accompany their daughter to each of the three appointments to offer support and assistance should any side effects occur.

The school says it is prepared to release family details to local health care officials so they can inform parents about the vaccination programme and says the issue is primarily a public health issue and not a school issue.

Experts believe vaccinating against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) could save hundreds of lives as the vaccinations give immunity to key strains of the sexually-transmitted HPV, responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.

The vaccine is given in three injections over six months and is being offered to all female year-eight pupils.