Irish Cancer Society welcomes next phase of the Laura Brennan Catch Up Programme
Charity calls for programme to be put on a permanent basis and for further opportunities for 18–24 year-olds to catch-up on missed vaccines
15 January 2025: The Irish Cancer Society has today welcomed the next phase of the Laura Brennan Catch Up Programme.
The Government today announced that fifth and sixth year pupils who missed out on the HPV vaccine in first year of secondary school will now have a chance to be vaccinated before the end of the 2025/2026 academic year. The Government also announced that second to fifth year students will be able to access the vaccination through a second phase of the catch-up programme in the 2026/27 academic year.
Since the catch up programme expired in December 2023, the Irish Cancer Society has been calling for a permanent programme to provide unvaccinated young people aged 24 and younger with additional opportunities to protect themselves against HPV.
Steve Dempsey, Director of Advocacy & Communications at the Irish Cancer Society said:
“This is extremely good news for the pupils in fifth and sixth year who missed out on the HPV vaccination in their first year, and for the younger pupils who will benefit from the programme in 2026/2027. It is a safe and effective vaccine that everyone should avail of.”
The Laura Brennan Catch-Up Programme needs to be made permanent – particularly given the Government’s own stated ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Young people post-secondary school up to the age of 24 also need a second chance too. For those who have left the school system, it can cost up to €600 for a private HPV vaccination. That’s a high price for a potentially life-saving vaccination, which is effective up to the age of 24 according to the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.
“We want to sincerely thank Tánaiste Simon Harris for his leadership on this matter, and Ministers McNeill and Naughton for delivering this schools-based catch up programme. We also want to acknowledge the work of Deputy Roderic O’Gorman, the Chair of the Oireachtas Cross-Party Group on Cancer, in keeping this issue on the political agenda and highlighting the experiences of those who were priced out of vaccination by the lack of a catch-up programme.”
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