Violet Anne Wynne (SF) celebrates with her family and supporters after being elected at the Co. Clare Count. Photo: Eamon Ward

A newly elected Sinn Féin TD has expressed strong opposition to the HPV and other vaccinations.

In a series of social media comments, Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne criticised the HSE for suggesting there was no scientific evidence that vaccines were unsafe.

On Facebook, Ms Wynne compared the dangers posed by the "ingredients" in vaccinations to changing where you buy coffee.

The first-time TD also said the compulsory vaccination of children, which was introduced in Italy, was "medical tyranny".

The HPV vaccine has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of Irish women who could have developed cancer without been vaccinated.

However, in August 2017, Ms Wynne said: "Parents that have spoken out with concern are not scaremongering but are speaking out with the experiences they have witnessed suffered by their daughters. The fact is the truth hurts.

"It does have side-effects and I think people should be aware and there are many families out there not being heard," she added.

She said the vaccine does not take into account that each person's body will react differently to it.

"You like your coffee, right? So the place you usually go to is shut, would the coffee be the same in the other shop?" she wrote.

"It should be, it is coffee, the same label same ingredients, but there is something different. Just like the vaccines".

It is not the first time a Sinn Féin member has raised doubts.

Former Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada was forced to back-track during her presidential campaign after she said she would not give her daughter the HPV vaccine. Ms Ní Riada issued a statement saying she was not "anti vax".

The party press office said Ms Wynne's comments were "old remarks" which did not "reflect Sinn Féin policy".

Irish Independent