Senior Minister of State for foreign affairs Dr Balaji Sadasivan said this at the opening of a cancer conference on Friday, following international debates on whether the vaccine should be mandated for girls as young as nine.

Lack of information on the long term effects of the vaccine and the relatively low incidence of the cancer here are some reasons cited.

As the virus which causes cervical cancer is transmitted through sexual contact, Dr Balaji said society may view such a vaccination programme as sending out 'the wrong message that teenage sex is condoned by the community.'

Singapore should observe how national cervical cancer vaccination programmes in countries like the United Kingdom turn out before making a decision, he said.

Meanwhile, parents can make that decisions for their teenage daughters. And pap smears should still remain the main way of detecting and preventing cervical cancer.

Dr Balaji was guest-of-honour at the opening of the three-day inaugural Asian Oncology Summit at the Suntec Convention Centre.

The summit aims to come up with a set of cancer treatment guidelines for the Asian population.