At least 40 Irish women will die needlessly after a "misinformation" campaign warned girls against getting the cervical cancer jab.
According to new figures reported by the
Times, 15,000 vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV) were refused last year.
The Irish Cancer Society revealed that the number of doses of Gardasil, the vaccine used in Ireland, fell by at least 5,000 from the year before.
Cancer experts believe this could almost double the number of preventable deaths. Gardasil protects against sexually transmitted infection that can lead to cervical cancer.
Experts now fear that a "misinformation" campaign by certain lobby groups is making "unsubstantiated" claims about the dangers of vaccines used here which is putting lives at risk.
In Ireland, the HPV vaccine is offered free of charge to all girls in their first year of second level school.
The HSE is understood to be re-offering the treatment to those who refused it last year.
