The majority of teenage girls that were offered the cervical cancer vaccine during the last school term accepted it.

Figures from the Health Executive Service show there has been a take-up rate of around 80 per cent, the Irish Independent reports.

The jab was made available to female first year pupils in 21 secondary schools this year, with the rest to be offered the vaccine next term.

"Some parents have expressed reservations about vaccinating their daughters against a sexually transmitted disease at such a young age," the publication noted.

A spokesman for the Irish Medicines Board confirmed to the newspaper that it has received 11 reports of suspected reactions to the jab.

Figures from Cancer Research UK show that cervical cancer mortality rates for females aged between 20 and 44 in Ireland have been rising steadily since the early 1980s.

Girls need to be vaccinated three times in total and the injections do not rule out the need for future screening.

Written by Donal Walsh

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