The cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, has so far been given to 1.4m girls in the UK, with just 4,600 reporting adverse reactions.

A 14-year old girl from a school in Coventry has died, after being taken ill just hours after receiving the cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix at school on Monday.

Post-mortem tests are expected to be carried out on the girl, who has now been named as Natalie Morton.

The national programme of vaccinating girls aged 12-13 against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) – which can cause cervical cancer – began in September 2008, and will be rolled out in a three-year catch up vaccine programme to girls aged 13-18.

So far, 1.4 million doses of the vaccine have been given out, with just 4,600 girls reporting adverse reactions – though these have been attributed to the technique of the injection, rather than the vaccine itself.

In a statement from NHS Coventry, Dr Caron Grainger, Joint Director of Public Health, said that they are conducting a full investigation into the events surrounding the tragedy. Dr Grainger said: “Our sympathies are with the girl’s family and friends at this difficult time.

“NHS Coventry has taken the proactive step to quarantine the batch of vaccine being used as a precautionary measure only and have informed the regulatory authority.”

In a letter from the Headteacher of Blue Coat CofE School, Dr J Roberts said that “one of the girls suffered a rare, but extreme reaction to the vaccine”, the letter also said that some other girls reported feeling unwell and were sent home as a consequence.

Speaking on GMTV, Dr Hilary Jones warned the public not to panic over the news, as the cause of death has still not been confirmed. He said: “It is important to say that tragically we lose a number of teenagers to sudden adult death syndrome every week and that’s a sudden death which is initially unexplained.

“It is estimated that it [the vaccine] may save 400 lives every year. However, I’m not saying we should be sitting on our laurels and saying it’s safe. I think we need to look at it carefully.”

Cervarix was developed by GlaxoSmithKline and, following successful trials, was approved for use in 97 countries worldwide including the 27 member states of the European Union (EU).