'Lives at risk' as just 53% of first years get HPV jab

Laura Brennan campaigned strongly to promote the HPV vaccine before her death from cervical cancer in 2019.

Campaigners say lives are being put at risk after it emerged that just 53% of first-year students have received the HPV vaccine.

Patient advocate Stephen Teap has accused the HSE of "incompetence" after learning of the significant drop, which has resulted in more than 32,000 students not being vaccinated under the schools programme.