Giving boys, and not just girls, HPV vaccine key to eliminating cervical cancer, says HSE

Dr Lucy Jessop said: “We, in Ireland, have the gender-neutral programme so we vaccinate our boys as well as our girls, so that has in the modelling led to us decreasing the time when we will be able to eliminate cervical cancer.” Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The inclusion of boys, as well as girls, in the HPV vaccination programme is a key reason why Ireland can target the eradication of cervical cancer by 2040, a HSE expert has said.

Health figures announced plans on Thursday to make the disease a rarity within two decades through an enhanced vaccination campaign. Dr Lucy Jessop, director of the National Immunisation Office, said vaccination against the HPV virus, which is the leading cause of cervical cancer, is vital.

“We, in Ireland, have the gender-neutral programme so we vaccinate our boys as well as our girls, so that has in the modelling led to us decreasing the time when we will be able to eliminate cervical cancer,” she said.

HPV (human papillomavirus) causes one in 20 cancers worldwide, she said. It causes nine out of 10 cases of anal cancer, is linked to cancer of the penis as well throat and mouth. It causes nine out of 10 cases of genital warts.

“The boys are getting direct protection from those things, from getting the HPV vaccine, and also obviously the more people we protect in general, then people won’t be able to come into contact with HPV,” Dr Jessop said.

She also highlighted recent Irish research which identified early signs of protection from HPV vaccination in women. When the vaccine programme started in 2010 it was offered to girls in first year in secondary school, which continues, and also girls in sixth year. These older girls are now eligible for screening.

“It was an ecological study, so it wasn’t matching one particular girl’s vaccine to their screening results, but ecologically so for the population, we see a decrease in high-grade changes as the vaccine is introduced,” she said.

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The study, published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, indicates there are plans to include individual vaccination status on the screening register.

At CervicalCheck, Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon said the 2040 target to have fewer than four cases per 100,000 women in line with the World Health Organisation definition of elimination is “amazing”. She said for their part they will seek to maintain Ireland’s already high rates of cervical screening.

“One of our focuses is really to concentrate on those people who are maybe a little bit more reluctant to attend for screening,” Dr Fitzgibbon said.

Sarah Fitzgibbon said the 2040 target to have fewer than four cases per 100,000 women in line with the World Health Organisation definition of elimination is “amazing”. File picture: Jim Coughlan

These groups include older women, who may feel they are not at risk post-menopause, she said, and also people in the LGBT+ community who may also feel they are not at risk.

Women may also feel embarrassed or fearful about screening, and she advised anyone with concerns to speak with their GP or GP practice nurse. 

The Irish Cancer Society has also welcomed the announcement. Amy Nolan, Director of Clinical Affairs said: "In order to meet this target, it is important that children in first year of secondary school receive their HPV vaccination.

“It is also important that women continue to engage with the CervicalCheck programme.”  She urged the Government to support the campaign.