A health charity has warned against panic after a schoolgirl died shortly after receiving a cervical cancer vaccine.
Jo's Trust, which was set up by a businessman whose wife died of the disease, says the vaccine has a "good safety profile". An urgent investigation has begun into the death of the girl, 14-year-old Natalie Morton.
Miss Morton died in hospital after receiving the HPV1 Cervarix jab at her school in Coventry, but the charity urged parents not to panic and said vaccinations should continue.
However another organisation, the Family Education Trust, has warned that the long-term effectiveness of the drug was uncertain. The trust, which investigates causes and consequences of family breakdown, added that vaccination could lead to a "false sense of security" in young people.
Robert Music, director of Jo's Trust, said: "In regard to the vaccine itself, we would urge parents not to panic as a result of this. It's a vaccine that can, potentially, reduce by 70% the chances of being diagnosed with cervical cancers."
Professor Malcolm McCrae, virologist at the University of Warwick, said: "As with any medical intervention, vaccines are no different in the sense that one can, on rare occasions, see tragic consequences.
"But overall this is an extremely well-tested vaccine which has been produced in response to a critical health issue - cervical cancer, a disease responsible for almost 1,000 deaths annually in the UK."
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