'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.

How many more lives are we going to put at risk while our health system focuses on Covid?" 

There needs to be a clear timetable and plan put in place by the @HSELive to catch up on the HPV Vaccination program, no more "covid" excuses. Protect Laura Brennans legacy, get this done now and save lives of future generations from HPV.@DonnellyStephen
https://t.co/LQtI8FJ3qw

— 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕡 (@Stephenteap) March 27, 2021

"This is just another example of our healthcare system failing in its duty to care for people and to protect people," said Mr Teap who sits on the CervicalCheck steering committee.

The vaccine, which protects against several forms of cancer including cervical, anal and penal cancers, is given to boys and girls in first year of secondary school.

Patient advocate Stephen Teap sits on the CervicalCheck steering committee. Picture: Dan Linehan

In 2019, 80% of students received the first dose of the vaccine. However, between September and December of last year, the uptake fell by almost 30% as just 37,014 of the country's 69,111 first year pupils were vaccinated.

Labour leader Alan Kelly, who obtained the figures though a series of parliamentary questions, described the figures as "very alarming".

"What's even more alarming is in multiple responses to my parliamentary questions there is no detail as to how they are going to catch up.

Thinking of the amazing Laura Brennan and her family today, don't know where those 2 years have gone. Her legacy still lives on and will for a very long time, such an incredible advocate#ThankYouLaura #HPVvaccine https://t.co/Lq3xoDj6Je

— 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕡 (@Stephenteap) March 20, 2021

"This is way too serious, all the efforts and work of the late Laura Brennan and everybody else cannot go to waste," he said in reference to the Co Clare woman who campaigned strongly to promote the HPV vaccine before her death from cervical cancer in 2019.

About 400 people are diagnosed with a cancer caused by the HPV virus each year in this country. The current vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause nine out of 10 cervical cancers and most cases of vulval, anal and vaginal cancers as well as genital warts.

The HSE told the Irish Examiner that many schools were unable to facilitate vaccination teams last September due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"School teams facilitated as many students as possible, both in schools where vaccinations were permitted, and in clinics outside of schools where possible," a HSE spokesperson said.

The programme has now been paused, with staff redeployed to administering the Covid-19 vaccine. The HSE confirmed only a "very limited number" of schools teams have been able to restart clinics.

"As the programme is ongoing, uptake information is not available. However, maintaining high uptake of the HPV vaccine and honouring the legacy of Laura Brennan and her work with us is very important to everyone in the health service."

Mr Kelly called on the HSE to urgently draft a detailed plan to catch up on missed vaccinations and said doctors and pharmacists should be tasked with administering it free of charge.

Ms Brennan's family recently raised concerns around the impact Covid has had on the HPV programme and appealed to the Department of Health to explore using existing Covid-19 vaccination facilities to vaccinate both first-year boys and girls and complete the current year of vaccinations.

Marking the two-year anniversary of her death on March 20, her family warned that if the vaccination programme is not restarted ahead of the new school term in September, more students will miss out on what can be a life-saving vaccine.

"We are all fully aware of the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on our country and the strain it has put on our health system. Vaccines have never been more topical or longed for than they are today, but just as we wait for the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, we must not forget about the HPV vaccine. A vaccine that our country currently has in its possession and readily available for administration," Ms Brennan's family said in a statement.