LONDON – A teenage girl who died in Britain shortly after being immunised against cervical cancer was killed by a malignant chest tumour and not by a reaction to the vaccine, an inquest has heard.
Natalie Morton (14) fell ill on Monday after being vaccinated at her school under a national immunisation programme against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV).
She died a few hours later after being admitted to hospital.
“The pathologist has confirmed today at the opening of the inquest into the death of Natalie Morton that she died from a large malignant tumour of unknown origin in the heart and lungs,” Dr Caron Grainger, joint director of public health for the Coventry area where Natalie died, said yesterday.
“There is no indication that the HPV vaccine, which she had received shortly before her death, was a contributing factor to the death, which could have arisen at any point.”
In paying tribute to Natalie, her stepfather, Andrew Bullock, said she was “kind, fun-loving and had a beautiful smile”. “We will miss her very much,” he told reporters.
The UK department of health said the immunisation programme was continuing and to date more than 1.4 million doses of Cervarix had been administered.
Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline had recalled the batch of vaccine used at the school pending an investigation. “GSK’s deepest sympathies lie with the parents at this very sad time,” a spokeswoman said yesterday, adding that she did not want to comment further.
The programme to vaccinate girls aged 12 to 13 began in September 2008 to fight cervical cancer, the 12th most common women’s cancer in Britain, killing more than 1,000 each year.
News of Natalie’s death came shortly before US health regulators again delayed a decision on whether to allow GSK to sell Cervarix in the US, where a panel of specialists has recommended its use.