Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 195: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the daughters of women who have had cervical cancer will be given the HPV vaccine as a priority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8687/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 238: To ask the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 272 and 273 of 9 February 2010, if the HPV vaccine will be provided to girls over 12 years of age who would be at risk for family reasons of contracting cervical cancer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9080/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 238 together.

Infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. HPV is transmitted mainly through sexual contact. For this reason and having regard to the reports by the Health Information and Quality Authority and from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and based on the best medical advice available to me that HPV vaccine does have the potential to play an important long term role in the prevention of cervical cancer I decided that a universal high uptake vaccination programme for young girls at the age of 13 or 14 every year for the foreseeable future should be introduced at this time.

Recently I requested the HSE to initiate a tendering process for the procurement of a HPV vaccine with a view to commencing a HPV vaccination programme for all girls in first year in secondary school and this process has now been completed. The programme can be delivered, commencing this year, from the extra resources committed in this year's budget to the overall Cancer Programme. It is not intended to provide vaccination outside of this programme and details of the full programme will be announced by the HSE in the near future.

The national cervical screening programme is the most efficient population approach to preventing and controlling cervical cancer and when combined with a HPV vaccination programme has the potential to reduce significantly over time the incidence of cervical cancer and the number of deaths caused by it.