HPV Vaccination Alliance welcomes Health Minister’s announcement that boys and girls will be given equal opportunity to be protected from HPV-caused cancers

“A good day for the health of future generations”
– HPV Vaccination Alliance

The HPV Vaccination Alliance has today welcomed the Health Minister’s announcement that boys and girls will be given equal opportunity to be protected from HPV-caused cancers from September 2019.

“Today is a good day for the health of future generations of Irish people,” Chief Executive of the Irish Cancer Society Averil Power said. “Creating equal opportunities for a life free from cancer is a priority for the Irish Cancer Society. Today we celebrate that boys here can soon avail of a vaccine that prevents cancers, free of charge. As we look towards a future where the number of cancers diagnosed overall is set to rise, it is a source of hope to know that eliminating HPV-caused cancers is now within our grasp. From next September, I encourage parents of first-year second-level students – boys and girls – around the country to avail of this free, safe, and life-saving vaccine.”

Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance said, “It is critical that planning for the roll-out of the HPV vaccine to boys gets underway immediately. Communicating to parents the extraordinary health benefits this vaccine provides will be a critical aspect in ensuring a high uptake rate. We talk a lot in Ireland about how prevention is better than cure. Adequate resources must now be put in place to ensure a nationwide HPV vaccination programme can be run effectively, and that any concerns parents have can be listened to and eased with the facts – the HPV vaccine is safe, effective, and saves lives.”

The HPV Alliance has written a letter to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Simon Harris congratulating them on their personal commitment to the extension of the HPV vaccine to boys.