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Retailers say spike in seized tobacco hints at 'large-scale' cigarette factories in Ireland

Revenue has announced four major seizures of loose raw tobacco with an estimated retail value of €8.1m.

A GROUP REPRESENTING businesses against illegal smuggling has argued that a recent spike in loose tobacco seizures by authorities suggests there are “large-scale” illegal cigarette factories operating in Ireland.

Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) warned today that 13.5 tonnes of loose raw tobacco seized by Revenue so far this year suggests that there are large-scale illegal cigarette factories operating in Ireland.

To date, Revenue has announced four major seizures of loose raw tobacco with a combined estimated retail value of €8.1 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €6.7 million.

RAS national spokesperson Benny Gilsenan said: “The significant volume of the consignments being seized, and the elaborate means being used to conceal this raw tobacco suggests that it’s unlikely the product is intended for direct resale to the consumer on the black market.”

He said that a “recent spike” in these types of seizures has risen suspicion among retailers that the intended destination is likely to be illegal cigarette making factories operated by criminal gangs in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

The RAS pointed out that when Gardaí and Revenue officials uncovered Ireland’s first illegal commercial-scale cigarette production plant in Jenkinstown Co Louth in 2018, it was capable of producing up to 250,000 cigarettes per hour.

During that raid up to 66 tonnes of raw tobacco were seized which Gilsenan said gives a sense of the volume of tobacco product required to run such an operation.

Gilsenan added:

The fear among retailers is that the volumes of raw tobacco now being seized at Irish ports are at a level which indicates that similar underground facilities are operational on the island of Ireland.

“For example, we know that roughly 13-15 million cigarettes could be produced from the 13.5 tonnes of raw tobacco seized alone, and we suspect further large volumes are getting into the country undetected.”

Since the Jenkinstown raid, several other illegal factories have been uncovered primarily around the border regions, which suggests a link to illegal cross-border trade and criminal activity, the RAS spokesperson added.

“The most recent seizure of an illegal factory on the island was in Armagh in July this year, which could produce 390 million cigarettes a year.

“While we fully commend and support the work of Revenue and An Garda Síochána as well as their counterparts in Northern Ireland in detecting smuggled tobacco and cigarettes, we believe more can be done by policymakers to tackle the growing illegal trade in tobacco products in Ireland.”

In its pre-Budget 2022 submission to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, RAS argued that continuous excise increases on tobacco are fuelling demand for a growing black market, urging against an increase in October’s announcement.

“We are also very concerned by the additional spate of illicit cigarette and roll-your-own tobacco seizures by Revenue so far this year. To date over 35 million cigarettes and over 20 tonnes of roll-your-own tobacco have been seized highlighting just how active the black market currently is.”

“The continued growth of the black market can only be halted by stopping the continuous excise increases on tobacco products, the retail price of which is 121% above the EU average according to a new Eurostat survey issued today,” Gilsenan argued.

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    Mute Messer
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:30 PM

    I got the vaccines in 2012. Thankfully nobody in our school has had any problems. I think its a risk thats worth taking for a lot of people.

    131
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    Mute John B
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:03 PM

    Messed I can assure you that unlike what the article states, there is no hot debate. You did the right hing, and no need to be thankful, the vaccine is safe.

    109
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    Mute Sean Keating
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:50 PM

    So now cervical cancer is an imagined disease ? I’ve seen it all. Enough internet for today

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    Mute Anto Curran
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:59 PM

    Sean, my favorite but was the W.H.O. doctors who want to reduce world population part.

    42
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    Mute FeynmanSays
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    Jan 13th 2017, 10:24 PM

    I’m always astonished at the level of delusional anti-vaccine crap I read online, but that WHO comment is right up there. What I find much more worrying is when people I know quite well personally (and I assumed were reasonable and smart) start spouting this anti-vaccination nonsense. Many of us would be long dead of childhood diseases were it not for major efforts by generations of scientists to prevent such things. People who deny that are similar to idiots who spout flat-Earth nonsense while using their Internet-connected 4G smart phones to find their route via GPS. There’s no helping some people.

    45
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    Mute Kimurphy
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:16 PM

    Well done girls – great to see a balanced survey and hear the views of parents -

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    Mute Tom Barrett
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    Jan 15th 2017, 1:06 AM

    @Kimurphy:

    A sister of friend of mine died from cervical cancer last year. As a doctor I found it devastating to see this woman in death.
    Last week -January 2017 – ALL 69 Designated Cancer Centers Looking after the entire US population in the US issued a joint statement on the HPV Vaccine recommending AGAIN that it is given to teenagers, where it works best before the age of 15 so that people will stop getting cervical, rectal, throat and mouth cancers.
    Saying there are 25 side effects of this vaccine in a young scientist project is fake news and particularly misleading for parents who were asked the questions and for those who will read this article.

    It is using safety data on vaccine monitoring to misinform parents.
    it is like saying you should not send your children to school because the building is unsafe because it has a fire exit.

    24
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    Mute Donncha Ó Coileáin
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:18 PM

    Boys should be getting this too. The original thought behind the HPV vaccine was to immunise women, and as a result men would be safe from it too. However gay men would not be safe from it.

    HPV can go on to cause anal and throat cancer, as well as cervical cancer. Rather than waiting for when a boy has come out and is comfortable asking for this vaccine himself, by which time it could be too late, it should just be made available to the whole population as part of the regular vaccine programme.

    109
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:28 PM

    @Donncha Ó Coileáin: They are getting it? Since when did boys have a cervix

    20
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    Mute watersedge
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:49 PM

    But he has just pointed out that the HPV virus can cause anal and throat cancer as well as cervical. He makes a good point.

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    Mute watersedge
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    Jan 13th 2017, 9:21 PM

    Donnacha, the active ingredient in the spice tumeric is called curcumin. Research is being done into it and its effects on cancer cells as well as the hpv virus. You can take them in a tablet form but make sure there is at least 95% curcuminods in the brand and that it contains bioperine (black pepper) which aids absorption.

    http://ecancer.org/news/7234-curry-ingredient-offers-potential-therapy-for-cancers-caused-by-hpv.php

    18
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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 14th 2017, 11:13 AM

    @Donncha Ó Coileáin: Jeepers!! If boys are vaccinated it helps prevent girls, i.e. their partners getting Cancer!!!

    11
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    Mute Sueann Moore
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    Jan 17th 2017, 8:22 AM

    @Breas: It causes more cancers than just cervical

    6
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    Mute winston smith
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    Jan 13th 2017, 9:51 PM

    This project should raise some eyebrows in the HSE really.
    60.8% of people answered that their daughter had not received the vaccine yet!
    65% of parents who responded in the survey said that the HSE doesn’t provide enough information about the vaccine!
    42% said NO to the vaccine!
    This is damming and fair play to the students for highlighting this in this particular region.

    78
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    Mute Sueann Moore
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    Jan 17th 2017, 8:20 AM

    @winston smith:

    Sadly 42% said no to the vaccine due to the fake news stories and scaremongering online , not because they have seen evidence of any actual side effects. This is almost an identical situation to what happened when Wakefield claimed that the MMR vaccine caused Autism. Mass hysteria ensued fueled by misinformation … and children got very ill or died. It is vital to note that the scare stories of adverse reactions are reported , but not proven. some “effects” were reported up to 6 months later.

    Correlation does not equal causation.

    According to the group REGRET , 200 of their teenage 400 members are now on suicide watch , meaning they are under surveillance 24 hours a day by trained professionals .The group have refused to provide any evidence of this claim. Many of their stories have been copy pasted from other places on the internet. The groups facebook page has been proven to post fake alarming news stories , all debunked regarding HPV vaccine injury.

    If you are looking for actual data and statistics on HPV vaccine and any possible dangers , here are the real facts. http://www.thejournal.ie/hpv-vaccine-ireland-regret-gardasil-facts-2970847-Dec2016/

    some more facts are

    You do not have to engage in full sexual intercourse to catch HPV
    It causes more cancers than just cervical , including head , neck and throat.
    On average 90 women a year die from cervical cancer
    Not one single reported serious effect claimed by REGRET has been medically proven
    Many of the “vaccine injured” girls had previous medical history & conditions
    Most of the reactions claimed were very minor ie : fainting , rash , soreness at injection site ,stomach upset and most are listed as resolved within days on their website
    Members of REGRET are anti vaccination full stop and their page shares antivaxx nonsense

    Some proof that REGRET have been fabricating statistics

    http://blog.hereshow.ie/2016/10/heres-how-49-dr-brenda-corcoran-of-the-hse-r-e-g-r-e-t-s-claims/

    My daughter will certainly be getting the vaccine this year because I take medical advice from doctors , not from a facebook page who have amassed €10k in unaccounted for donations and who are currently posing as a charity , despite not having charity status.

    14
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    Mute Tom Barrett
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    Feb 5th 2017, 5:59 PM

    @winston smith:

    If these girls had looked at the World Health Organisation website they would see that the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety of the World Health Organisation have twice issued statements on the safety of this vaccine reporting that there are no concerns about the safety of the vaccine i.e with no serious side effects. This is the current guidance of WHO on this vaccine. The US Institute of Medicine gives the same advice about the vaccine. The World Health Organisation also states
    “Allegations of harm due to vaccination based on incomplete information may lead to unnecessary harm when effective vaccines are not used”. In other words the Journal in this article suggesting to parents that the HSE is either incompetent or involved in some sort of conspiracy by not telling parents about 25 serious side effects of this vaccine frightens young girls from taking the vaccine with the result they will continue to die from cervical cancer and 5 other cancers in adulthood. Having been to two funerals in the last two weeks of people who died after long and difficult illnesses from cancer I revisited this page. The vaccine is cancer prevention.
    I can only find the information these girls give about the 25 side effects of the vaccine and the HSE hiding them on a Facebook site that DENIES vaccines have any benefit.
    Cervicalcheck recommend every girl have the vaccine but FACEBOOK says again gives different advice.

    3
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:20 PM

    keep away from HPV, after my daughter got vaccine she turned yellow and spent 12 days in a hospital, even today 6 years later she is always tired and fatigued

    75
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    Mute Eric Gilligan
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:42 PM

    @Breas: Yes… keep away from HPV … lol

    37
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    Mute jane
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:43 PM

    There will always be some people who are allergic to vaccines. My own daughter has had a reaction twice, not serious mind. The fact is cervical cancer is no walk in the park either. It’s about weighing up what is the greater good.

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    Mute No To Forced Births!
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:51 PM

    @Breas: You would have lost your marbles altogether, if she turned black…

    23
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:04 PM

    @Breas: The Doctors suspected Liver failure, basically after a few days in the hospital they said her immune system had attacked itself. She had never been seriously ill before HPV and had never been in a hospital. Today she is always tired and also she is a much quieter person who is very fearful about life in general, the complete opposite of what she was before this vaccine.

    58
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:06 PM

    @jane: Cervial Cancer is linked to under age sex, teenager who are not engaged in underage sex have nothing to worry about

    22
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:07 PM

    @No To Forced Births!: I would have painted her white like God

    9
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    Mute jane
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:11 PM

    Enough said.

    38
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:15 PM

    @No To Forced Births!: no to Abortion / Murder in Ireland

    13
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    Mute Donal Proctor
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Breas: your comments are idiotic. HPV is not linked to underage sex. Its contagious at any age from anyone infected. The theory of giving the vaccine young to young teenagers is to attempt to nip the risk in the bud before a girl has any sexual partners. There obviously is a risk to a small % of girls whom may experience adverse affects with the vaccine.

    80
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    Mute Breas
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:26 PM

    @Donal Proctor: cervical cancer is linked to underage sex you moron, the so-called plan is to give vaccine so they can have sex and avoid cancer

    9
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    Mute No To Forced Births!
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:36 PM

    @Breas: And if your partner/wife/daughters life is at risk ,you will keep on saying no to abortion?
    Murder : the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another human being.
    Abortion : deliberate ending of a pregnancy.
    Breas : dope

    39
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:44 PM

    Breas, head off back to the middle ages would you FFS

    43
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    Mute jane
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:51 PM

    Ah Dave he’s surely trolling. I mean there’s no one that thick surely?

    40
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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 14th 2017, 11:18 AM

    Unfortunately Jane there are. One is the next President of the US.

    6
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    Mute Tom Barrett
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    Jan 14th 2017, 3:46 PM

    A sister of friend of mine died from cervical cancer last year. As a doctor I found it devastating to see this woman in death.
    Last week -January 2017 – ALL 69 Designated Cancer Centers Looking after the entire US population in the US issued a joint statement on the HPV Vaccine recommending AGAIN that it is given to teenagers, where it works best before the age of 15 so that people will stop getting cervical, rectal, throat and mouth cancers.
    Saying there are 25 side effects of this vaccine in a young scientist project is fake news and particularly misleading for parents who were asked the questions and for those who will read this article.

    It is using safety data on vaccine monitoring to misinform parents.
    it is like saying you should not send your children to school because the building is unsafe because it has a fire exit.

    26
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    Mute Margaret Cantwell
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    Jan 14th 2017, 9:42 PM

    @Tom Barrett: You are a doctor, and it is apparent that you have not even read the insert information leaflet by Merck, that comes with the vaccine? There are many more side-effects than just 25! It is not fake news. It is definite FACT, and confirmed by the Merck Pharmaceutical Company themselves. The leaflet referred to by the Young Scientists is the information leaflet meant for parents (which includes 25 listed side-effects) … but the other more detailed information leaflet (meant for health practitioners and doctors) gives a lot more information. This information leaflet is available for anyone to download and read for themselves, on the Merck website.

    11
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    Mute Margaret Cantwell
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    Jan 14th 2017, 9:57 PM

    @Tom Barrett: Here is the Prescribing Information leaflet, from the Merck website. It is a fairly long document, but if you just want to read the section about reported side-effects, please scroll down to the end of page 9 and the start of page 10. You will notice that one of the side effects listed is “Death” … information from the Gardasil manufacturers Merck Co. The Young Scientists did not make up this information, is is there for anyone (doctors or lay people) to read – in plain sight!
    http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/gardasil_pi.pdf

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    Mute Tom Barrett
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    Jan 15th 2017, 1:03 AM

    @Margaret Cantwell:
    I have read the product information and it clearly says the side effects of GARDASIL BELOW which I have copied from the leaflet below

    The most common adverse reaction was headache.
    Common adverse
    reactions (frequency of at least 1.0% and greater than AAHS control or saline placebo) are fever, nausea, dizziness; and injection-site pain, swelling, erythema, pruritus, and bruising. Then it mentions anaphylaxis which occurs in 1in 500,000 to 1 million doses of vaccine.

    The other side effects 25 or more that you refer to were reported – (EVERY THING is reported) from those in the vaccine trials over ?3 years after the vaccination E.G toothaches,gonorrhoea, clhlamydiae infection and shootings and death after RTA. A similar group of patients had a placebo (.ie not the vaccine ) and had the SAME SIDE EFFECTS OVER several YEARS. The only difference between the groups is the people who got the vaccine had a sorer arm.
    At a conference in Philadelphia in NOV 2016 it was stated that the ONLY other than the side effects mentioned above OF gardasil was fainting in a review of 89 million doses of gardasil .
    Do you believe that doctors who look after millions of people with cancer in the US would recommend a vaccine that kills people.
    THERE IS NO DOUBT THIS VACCINE WILL PREVENT CANCER of the cervix, vagina, rectum and head and neck . The information given about 25 side effects is FAKE news and unfair on parents .

    22
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    Mute Ronan McManus
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    Jan 18th 2017, 4:43 PM

    @Margaret Cantwell: These are the causes of death that you are associating with Gardasil.
    This is taken directly from the Gardasil insert.

    The most common cause of death was motor vehicle accident (5 individuals who received GARDASIL and 4 individuals who received AAHS control), followed by drug overdose/suicide (2 individuals who received GARDASIL and 6 individuals who received AAHS control), gunshot wound (1 individual who received GARDASIL and 3 individuals who received AAHS control), and pulmonary embolus/deep vein thrombosis (1 individual who received GARDASIL and 1 individual who received AAHS control).
    In addition, there were 2 cases of sepsis, 1 case of pancreatic cancer, 1 case of arrhythmia, 1 case of pulmonarytuberculosis, 1 case of hyperthyroidism, 1 case of post-operative pulmonary embolism and acute renal failure, 1 case of traumatic brain injury/cardiac arrest, 1 case of systemic lupus erythematosus, 1 case of cerebrovascular accident, 1 case of breast cancer, and 1 case of nasopharyngeal cancer in the group that received GARDASIL; 1 case of asphyxia, 1 case of acute lymphocytic leukemia, 1 case of chemical poisoning, and 1 case of myocardial ischemia in the AAHS control group; and 1 case of medulloblastomain the saline placebo group.

    You know, because I am pretty sure I have personally explained it to you, that these are not deaths due to Gardasil.

    Are you also claiming that the deaths in the unvaccinated control group are due to their lack of vaccinations?

    You are someone who knowingly spreads dangerous misinformation because of your own ideological beliefs.

    You are a disgrace.

    6
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    Mute Ellie Wishart
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    Jan 13th 2017, 11:08 PM

    I’ve heard parents discussing that this issue is about a sexually transmitted disease, so think their daughters should not have it. Making very ill informed decisions based on the hype of anti vaccine because other parents ‘ rebelling’ against vaccines. Situation we are in with measles in that we will miss all the global targets in this serious illness is really worrying

    22
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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Jan 13th 2017, 7:53 PM

    Great to see an effort to examine the precise issues and apply research to the dilemma.

    Cervical cancer is often late diagnosed and so has poor outcomes.

    Is there any way of modifying the vaccine to remove its rare but extremely deleterious side effects?

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    Mute John B
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:15 PM

    Side effects are much rarer than for many medical treatments that people would accept without even questioning, for example appendicectomy, taking blood pressure pills, paracetamol, all much more likely to produce side effects.

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    Mute Graham Quinn
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    Jan 13th 2017, 8:57 PM

    @tony daly probably not. Ingesting anything – be it vaccines, food or liquids carries a small risk. There’s just something about vaccines that really brings the nutters outta the woodwork .

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 14th 2017, 11:20 AM

    There are NO serious side effects.

    6
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    Mute Sueann Moore
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    Jan 17th 2017, 8:01 AM

    @Tony Daly: Taking a Lemsip has rare side effects , but that just addresses flu , not just head,neck , throat & cervical cancer .

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    Mute Mairead Hilliard
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    Jan 14th 2017, 11:45 AM

    This is the kind of research that primetime neglected to do in their report on the HPV vaccine!

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    Mute Mairead Hilliard
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    Jan 14th 2017, 11:15 AM

    Well done girls for highlighting that parents are not given enough information about the more serious possible side effects from the controversial HPV vaccine!

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    Mute John Lagan
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    Jan 16th 2017, 8:08 PM

    “Gardasil will become the greatest medical scandal of all time because at some point in time, the evidence will add up to prove that this vaccine, technical and scientific feat that it may be, has absolutely no effect on cervical cancer and that all the very many adverse effects which destroy lives and even kill, serve no other purpose than to generate profit for the manufacturers. Gardasil is useless and costs a fortune!” – Bernard Dalbergue, former Merck physician.

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