Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris. This is the first time he has graced the new Seanad Chamber with his presence.

I tabled this matter to discuss the need for the Minister to initiate a campaign to outline the safety of the HPV vaccine in light of very negative publicity. The HPV vaccination is a very important tool in the context of public health. It is a very important step for our nation to ensure that our population is well vaccinated. We have over 11 different vaccinations on offer here. The programme has worked very well to ensure that we have good public health standards. That has been a very positive development over the years.

I am greatly concerned by the negative publicity regarding the HPV vaccination in recent months. If we consider the success of other vaccination programmes, in the case of the measles, mumps and rubella, MMR, vaccine, we are seeking a compliance rate of 95%. The current rate of uptake is 93% on foot of a positive campaign. As a father, I think it has been a very worthy campaign. Unfortunately, the rate of uptake for the HPV vaccine has dropped in recent years. The vaccine was first introduced in 2010. In 2013, the rate of uptake was 88%. That fell to 86% in 2014 and to 76% in 2015.They are stating now that it is possibly as low as 50%. That is greatly worrying. The HPV vaccination gives women the opportunity to be vaccinated against cervical cancer, which is a silent killer. It is an issue that we, as a society, must address. In terms of the figures, 650 women will need to attend hospital treatment for pre-cancerous conditions regarding cervical cancer every year. Every year, 300 women contract the disease and, unfortunately, we lose 90 of them. It is a silent killer, and that is the reason vaccination is so important.

We need to redouble our efforts to get across the positive message regarding this important tool to ensure that this disease can be controlled. I read some figures yesterday and they frightened me. Unfortunately, we would lose another 40 people with a 50% uptake.

I realise the Minister has worked tirelessly to ensure that the good message about this vaccine gets out. We must ensure we have a follow-up programme for people who want to come back into the system. We also need to battle the false information in the media about this important issue.

I put down this Commencement matter to raise my frustration about what I believe is a very important issue. We need to get the information out to the public. The public wants to be informed. It is a good news story, and it is a positive campaign that will literally save lives. I believe the Minister will move heaven and earth to ensure that will happen. I raise this Commencement matter because I believe we need to air this important issue. If we have a successful campaign to get out the good news about this issue, it is hoped that we will literally save lives.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is very good to be with the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Members in their new temporary Seanad Chamber. I thank Senator Tim Lombard for tabling this very important issue, which provides me with an opportunity to update the Seanad on what is a very important public health matter.

As Senator Lombard will be aware, immunisation is regarded as one of the safest and most cost effective of health care interventions and the importance of vaccination is acknowledged by all the major health organisations. The Senator is entirely correct. Due to a very successful childhood immunisation programme, the uptake rates for many of our very important vaccinations are now in line with World Health Organization, WHO, targets, which is saving lives and helping to create healthier children at a younger age and throughout their lives.

There is strong evidence of the beneficial impact of the HPV vaccine for women’s health in countries that have had high uptake rates. For example, cases of high grade pre-cancerous changes of the cervix have reduced by 75% in Australia and by more than 50% in Scotland as a result of the high uptake rate of this vaccine. As Senator Lombard correctly said, this is a vaccine that can and is saving lives.

I want to assure Senator Lombard that one of my absolute priorities as Minister for Health, and a priority of the Health Service Executive, HSE, is to counter misinformation relating to the safety of vaccines, and to increase uptake rates of all vaccines in the State's immunisation programmes. That is important. It is not good enough for us to sit silently by. All of us who hold public office have a duty to help get the facts and the information out to the public and to debug the myths. That is why I showed my strong support for this vaccine when I launched a new HSE HPV information campaign at the end of August. That is an excellent campaign and I pay tribute to the HSE and the many doctors who worked with it in putting that together. It is operating alongside a very effective campaign of information but from an alliance of medical experts who have come together to get the facts out, debug the myths and make sure parents can make informed choices.

I am pleased to see the work of the HSE in developing a comprehensive range of materials as part of the immunisation programme for this new school year has started. This includes a letter to parents concerning the vaccination programme, leaflets giving the facts about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer for parents and teachers and a HPV vaccine key facts leaflet for general practitioners, GPs.

Prior to all school immunisations, parents receive an information pack in a sealed package with an information leaflet, a consent form and a cover letter. The information packs for all immunisations are standardised nationally. The information booklets include information on all the known side effects that can occur after any vaccination. Parents are also given contact details for their local immunisation office and advised to speak to a member of the school immunisation team if they have any further questions.

The HSE has invested in marketing communications at a time when parents are receiving our information packs and consent forms in schools, and when the vaccines will be given to girls.As we speak, advertisements are running on radio stations nationally to coincide with the provision of this information to parents. This five-week campaign of national and regional radio advertising started last week and will include social media posts on Facebook and Twitter as well as digital advertising.

It is very clear that misinformation is causing real harm to unvaccinated children and to adults who develop vaccine-preventable diseases. A number of years ago, the big political outrage on this issue was that the vaccine was not available to girls in this country and was not being funded. Indeed, my predecessor, Senator James Reilly, campaigned for it prior to its brave introduction by another predecessor, Mary Harney. She saw its importance.

As Senator Lombard rightly points out, there was a very good uptake with 87% of eligible girls having this vaccine three years ago, but that rate has dropped to 50% in the last academic year due to misinformation. The Irish Cancer Society estimates that this drop will have the following consequences, which are startling: that 1,000 girls will require invasive therapy to prevent the precancerous form of HPV; 100 girls will develop cervical cancer and require life altering treatment; and the deaths will take place of at least 40 girls with cervical cancer who did not receive the HPV vaccine. The consequences of this are very serious, which is why I get agitated and use strong language when I hear people making ignorant and uninformed comments. We must take our advice on vaccinations from medical experts. In this case, the advice is very clearly that this is a fully tested vaccine which protects against the main cancer-causing strains of HPV and will eventually save around 60 lives in Ireland each and every year. That is 60 girls who will go on into womanhood alive and well as a result of this vaccine. The benefits of this vaccine are clear. It can, does and will save lives.

To respond directly to Senator Lombard's question on a follow-up campaign, I am pleased to inform him that one is now in place. If there are parents at home today who decided at the time they did not want to get their child vaccinated but have now informed themselves of the facts and would like to get it done, they need not feel they have missed out. Any girl can be provided with the vaccine through the school immunisation programme, which is important information to get out to our communities.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I compliment the Minister on his response and on the campaigns he is running on this very important issue. It is great to get clarity on the follow-up campaign which is very important in that people will hopefully see the benefits and come back into the system. Hopefully, lives will, literally, be saved.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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That is correct. It is also important to inform the House that we are considering extending the vaccine to boys. Recently, I asked HIQA to carry out a health technology assessment on the benefits for boys of this vaccination, which is due to be completed in 2018. The Government will act accordingly regarding that.

There is an onus on all of us to debunk the myths, publicise the medical facts and help parents to make informed decisions. My advice to parents is very simple. If they have a question, they should absolutely ensure it is answered, but they should get the facts and information from people who are qualified to give it to them. They should go to www.hpv.ie, where they will find all the facts, visit a doctor or talk to a pharmacist or school immunisation team. There is a great deal of information out there to help them to make the best decisions for their daughters.