HPV scare triggers negative ripple effect for other vaccines

The controversy over the cervical cancer vaccine may be starting to affect the take-up for other jabs, new figures indicate.

The latest Health Service Executive performance report shows a decline in uptake for the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer and for the flu vaccine among health staff, as well as a slight decline in the uptake for childhood vaccines.

The take-up for the cervical cancer vaccine is “significantly behind target” in all areas of the country, according to the report, which says a media campaign is being developed to improve awareness about its benefits.

The report does not give figures, but the take-up has fallen from 87 per cent three years ago to an estimated 50 per cent now. The decline has been blamed on lobbying by a pressure group, Regret, which claims hundreds of teenage girls have suffered long-term adverse reactions after taking the jab.

The report says numbers taking the flu vaccine among its staff last winter were also significantly down on expectations. Just 22.5 per cent of hospital staff, and 27 per cent of nursing home staff, received the jab last winter, against a target of 40 per cent.

The take-up of the 6-in-1 vaccine given to children at age two has dropped marginally below the national target of 95 per cent, while take-up of the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, at 92.4 per cent, has also fallen. The lowest take-up of the MMR vaccine is in north Dublin, as 89 per cent.

Cost overruns

Meanwhile, the report also notes that the country’s hospitals have overspent by €36 million so far this year, despite the HSE receiving €500 million in supplementary funding earlier in the year. The overall HSE deficit to the end of September was €18.1 million, as other areas underspent their allocations.

The HSE says any overrun at the end of the year will be applied as a first charge on the 2017 budget.

Almost 3,000 patients waited over 24 hours in an emergency department during the month, and 810 of these were aged over 75 years. Patient numbers at emergency departments are up almost 6 per cent on expected levels so far this year.

The worst hospitals for extended waits were Limerick, Drogheda and Galway. And the worst for long waits among older patients were Beaumont, Limerick and Galway.

Zero patients

Waiting lists continue to track upwards, with almost 47,000 patients waiting 15 months for an outpatient appointment in September, while 9,000 were waiting over 15 months for an inpatient procedure. The Government previously committed to having zero patients on a waiting list for this length of time.

Only half of all patients waiting for routine colonoscopies were seen within the target time of 13 weeks.

After falling since 2011, staff absenteeism edged up to 4.5 per cent this year compared to the same period last year.

According to the report, the compliance rate for investigating serious reportable events within deadline was just 1 per cent in September. So far, there have been 299 such events this year, but only one-third was reported within 24 hours, as required.

Just over 1.7 million people have medical cards and 464,000 have GP visit cards, according to the report.