HPV catch-up vaccination
Deputy O'Gorman asks when the Laura Brennan HPV catch-up campaign will be rerun and says a young student faces unaffordable private costs. The Tánaiste says the Government is committed to extending catch-up vaccination to under-25s, that thousands will benefit, and that work should begin now.
I have asked when the Government will rerun the Laura Brennan human papillomavirus, HPV, vaccine catch-up campaign on a number of occasions. This morning, I spoke to Lucy, a 20-year-old student who missed the HPV vaccine when she was at school and who wants to take it up now. She has been quoted up to €600 to get the vaccine. The cost of the initial appointment with a practice nurse, multiple shots and multiple GP visits to get those shots totals €600. She is a third level student. She does not have that level of disposable income. I spoke to the Minister for Health last night. She outlined her position on the importance of the school vaccination campaign. I appreciate that but I still do not have an answer for Lucy. Why does she have to fork out €600? Why does she have to pay for potentially life-saving shots when just six months ago the Government committed to rerunning the Laura Brennan HPV vaccine catch-up campaign?
Comment on this
I sincerely thank Deputy O'Gorman for raising this very important issue. We have an opportunity to effectively eliminate cervical cancers in our country. One of the ways we can achieve that goal is by increasing HPV vaccination rates for girls by age 15 to the WHO target of 90% by 2030. The Deputy is correct that there is also a need for catch-up programmes. The programme for Government contains a commitment to extend the Laura Brennan HPV catch-up vaccination programme to anyone under 25 who missed the initial vaccination. When I mention Laura Brennan, I always think of her and her family, whom I acknowledge today.
As a first step towards fulfilling this commitment, the Minister for Health told me this morning that she has decided to introduce a schools-based HPV vaccine catch-up programme without delay. This will give an opportunity to students who have previously been offered a HPV vaccine another opportunity to receive that vaccine. It is estimated that approximately 75,000 students could benefit from this, which is not a small cohort at all. Those aged 16 and older do not require parental consent to receive the vaccine as part of the catch-up programme. The uptake of the vaccine will be closely monitored. In parallel, the Minister is exploring opportunities to identify a suitable delivery model for those aged under 25 who have left school. In the meantime, it is important to have as many children of schoolgoing age as possible vaccinated. We are fully committed to this programme. The Minister intends to start it in the way I have suggested. Some 75,000 students will benefit. The Minister will then come back on a suitable delivery model for those aged under 25.
Comment on this
Lucy will not benefit from that.