Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Alan Kelly and Members of the Labour Party for introducing this motion. We will be supporting it.

There can be no equivocation. The HPV vaccination programme and information campaign must be supported, and it must be supported by all of us. We have to lead by example on this.

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer that affects women worldwide. It is linked to a sexually transmitted infection with the HPV. Ireland sees 6,500 cases of pre-cancer of the cervix each year. The Irish Family Planning Association has shown that approximately 300 women per year are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 90 of these women will die from that illness. Thankfully, many such deaths should become a thing of the past because of the HPV vaccine. It is right that we should extend that protection to boys as well as girls.

Owing to the immense dangers of the HPV, the vaccine is offered to girls in their first year in secondary school. The move by the HSE in offering a catch-up facility for girls to obtain the HPV vaccine where they have missed it is very timely, particularly given that we experienced a significant drop in the vaccination rate.

The vaccine is the most effective protection against two types of the virus, which cause over 70% of cervical cancers. It also protects boys from cancers and from HPV transmission. The vaccine is recommended by the HSE, the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and the Irish Cancer Society, among others. The medical evidence supporting the HPV vaccine is overwhelming. The research is global as well as national. As head of the National Immunisation Office, Dr. Brenda Corcoran said the vaccine is one of the most studied ever and that all evidence shows that there has been no increase in any longer-term illness after the vaccine.

For proof of the success of the vaccine, we need only look to Australia, which is referred to in the motion. Australia was one of the first countries to introduce the vaccine and it has seen a 50% drop in the rate of pre-cancer of the cervix over the past decade. In Scotland and Sweden, pre-cancerous growth of the cervix has been reduced by more than 50%. That is the benefit of the vaccine and that is why it should be made universally available.

I commend the HSE for working hard to combat misinformation on the vaccine and for the new information campaigns that have been launched. I join others in offering my thanks and praise to Laura Brennan, who has been involved in the HSE's information campaign. Those who may be unaware of Laura should note she is suffering from terminal cervical cancer. She was diagnosed in 2016. In January 2017, she began rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, and tests later confirmed she had the all-clear. Sadly, the cancer returned and Laura said her only option now is palliative chemotherapy to extend her life. Let me quote what she had to say about the vaccine:

I made contact with the HSE after I had been diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. I'm only 25 but there is no treatment that will cure my cancer, only treatment that will now prolong my life. I didn't get the HPV vaccine – it wasn't available in schools when I was a teenager so my parents didn't have the choice. The reality is that now there is a vaccine that protects girls from getting this horrible disease. No parent wants their daughter to get cervical cancer. If anything good comes from my situation, I hope that parents consider this – get the facts, get informed and make the decision to get their daughters vaccinated. The HPV vaccine saves lives. It could have saved mine.

The bravery of this young woman is an inspiration. If sharing her story encourages one parent to get his or her child vaccinated, it will be a success.

Precaution and vaccination against cervical cancer through the HPV vaccine are very important. It is the best way to protect against cervical cancer.

It is important that our health system reacts to cervical cancer and has world-class diagnostic services. CervicalCheck Ireland does great work and provides free smear tests in certain categories. It is life-saving work and the doctors and nurses who operate at its coalface deserve great credit for the way in which they have grown and improved the service, in particular over the last decade. I call on the Government to ensure that free cervical smear tests are provided to all women, including those who may not be in a high-risk category. It is important that our system does not discriminate on the basis of age-old preconceptions about sexual activity and risk. Recently, it was relayed to me by a friend that she had been charged €80 for a smear test because she was over 60 years of age. It is important at all ages to keep women informed. The collective measures of vaccination and smear testing are important as they give us the chance to protect women and work towards eradicating cervical cancer. It beholds public representatives to support health campaigns which aim to improve the health and well-being of people across the State. The HPV vaccination programme and its associated information campaign do that.

Where the medical evidence as to the benefits of a vaccine are as apparent as they are overwhelming, we must defer to that medical evidence and to the medical professionals. Let us not forget that across this country and the world diseases which used to be common, including polio and diphtheria, measles and whooping cough, to name but a few, can easily be prevented by vaccination. One of the most important things we can do is support the provision of accurate and credible information to enable parents to take fully informed decisions about the HPV vaccine. We know the HPV vaccine works and saves lives. The vaccine not only contributes to cervical cancer reduction, it addresses other cancers associated with the virus which affect both men and women, including anal, genital and throat cancers. The HPV virus is also associated with the development of penile cancer and causes genital warts in both men and women. Therefore, I support the motion's call for the Government to further extend the HPV vaccination programme to include boys in their first year of secondary school. Again, I cite Australia, which introduced the vaccine for boys and girls in 2006. Since then, there has been a 90% reduction in the number of cases of genital warts in men and women reported. Vaccination against HPV can help to prevent these sexually transmitted infections and cancers for boys as well as girls. I am happy to note that Sinn Féin will support the motion. We see support for any public health campaign which aims to improve the health of our people as essential.

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