Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is calling on young men to avail of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect themselves and their partners.
From September 29th the vaccine will be available to boys and young men aged 21 and younger as part of the next phase of the Laura Brennan Catch Up programme, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
Mr Donnelly said the programme had gone very well to date, with 5,000 registered and 3,500 HPV vaccines administered. The highly effective single dose vaccine is free and protects men from several forms of cancer, including mouth cancer, anal cancer and throat cancer.
He pointed out that men can pass the virus on to women through sexual contact. So getting the vaccine was also protecting women against cervical cancer and other cancers, the Minister said.
“I certainly was surprised to hear the number of men who carry the [virus]. About one in three men carries some strain of HPV, and about one in five men carry one of the higher risk strains of HPV. So it is really important that boys and young men are vaccinated. It protects them and it protects women as well.”
Mr Donnelly said vaccine rates dropped in 2016 due to “a really sinister campaign of lies and scaremongering,” which “inevitably led to women in Ireland contracting cervical cancer who otherwise wouldn't have.”
Vaccination rates fell to about 55 per cent at their lowest point, but have since has gone up to about 70 per cent. However, the WHO target is 90 per cent.
“Our ambition is to eliminate cervical cancer in this country, a combination of HPV vaccines, HPV screening and earlier detection, and better treatments that mean that that is very much our ambition. And Ireland is being looked at around the world as a leading country in terms of vaccination and early detection and treatment.”
