A FINE Gael TD involved in a programme to vaccinate more than 200 young women against cervical cancer said that only one girl had suffered any side effects.

Dr James Reilly, health spokesperson for Fine Gael, said one of the youngsters fainted after receiving the vaccination. He added that she recovered within minutes and has been "perfectly well" since. The Dublin North TD said he was fully aware that side-effects had been reported in other countries.

It has emerged that more than 1,300 schoolgirls in the UK suffered some form of after effects from the jab under a mass immunisation programme.

Reported side effects included forms of paralysis, convulsions, sight problems, nausea, muscle weakness, fever, dizziness, numbness and even one case of anorexia.

The British government said the 1,340 adverse reports were to be expected considering that 700,000 school girls had been vaccinated.

Reilly offered the Gardasil vaccination to more than 200 young women in north Dublin using his own funds.

Doctors and nurses as well as dozens of other local volunteers and organisations also offered funds and agreed to work for free to help administer the vaccine.

Reilly said: "We had one girl faint, which is not unusual after vaccination, but certainly nobody has had any serious reaction and all are in good rude health.

"We vaccinated 210 people and the girl who fainted recovered within minutes and has been perfectly well since. I would not engage in a vaccination programme if I did not feel that it was safe.

"This vaccine is passed by the US FDA, who are perfectly happy with it. Our own Health Information and Quality Authority told us it was safe and would save 52 lives a year.

"It is also important to remember that the National Immunisation Advisory Board recommended this vaccine as well. Every vaccine has possible side effects but they are rare and what you are looking at is a risk-benefit analysis.

"The minister was quite happy to bring this [vaccine] in and made a decision based on finance and certainly nothing to do with side effects. I would ask the question whether we are focusing on the price of the vaccine, instead of looking at the value of it," he said.

Reilly said he had been in touch with other local communities in North Dublin, Wexford, Cork and Mayo with a view to setting up small-scale vaccination programmes.