Almost two in three girls are now receiving the HPV vaccine, the HSE has confirmed. It is calling on parents to ensure that their daughters are vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Each year in Ireland, 300 women develop cervical cancer and around 90 women die from the disease.

There are many types of HPV, most of which are harmless. However some strains can be serious, such as those that cause cervical cancer. Most risk is attributable to HPV types 16 and 18, however, these are included in the vaccine that is offered to all girls attending their first year of secondary school.

The vaccine is most effective when given at 12 to 13 years of age, and it provides protection throughout adulthood.

Ireland's national HPV vaccination programme has been in place since 2010, however in recent years, uptake rates have fallen, largely due to what the HSE has previously referred to as ‘many conflicting and misleading sources of information out there'.

It has now launched the next phase of its HPV Vaccine Information Campaign, ‘which aims to support parents in making an informed decision to ensure their daughters get the vaccine and get protected from cervical cancer'.

"We have seen a national uptake rate of around 62%, that is 11% higher than our preliminary figure from last year of 51%. That means that nearly two out of every three girls are now receiving the HPV vaccine, which is really good news.

"This is really significant for the many groups and individuals who continue to ensure that the correct message is heard. We were particularly encouraged by the positive feedback we received from our vaccination teams in all areas of the country in relation to their interaction with the girls and their parents last September," commented Dr Brenda Corcoran, head of the HSE National Immunisation Office.

The launch of this phase of the campaign coincides with the return of HSE vaccination teams to secondary schools to administer the second dose of the vaccine to first year girls.

Parents whose daughters have not had the vaccine, but are still in secondary schools are also being encouraged to contact their local vaccination teams and join the ‘catch-up' programme, which will be available in schools over the coming weeks.

The information campaign will run from March 22 on radio, digital and social media. One of those featured in this phase of the campaign is Laura Brennan (25) from Clare, who has been diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer.

"I made contact with the HSE after I had been diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. I'm only 25 but there is no treatment that will cure my cancer, only treatment that will now prolong my life. I didn't get the HPV vaccine - it wasn't available in schools when I was a teenager so my parents didn't have the choice.

"The reality is that now there is a vaccine that protects girls from getting this horrible disease. No parent wants their daughter to get cervical cancer. If anything good comes from my situation, I hope that parents consider this - get the facts, get informed and make the decision to get their daughters vaccinated. The HPV vaccine saves lives. It could have saved mine," she said.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, GP and broadcaster, Dr Ciara Kelly, insisted that this vaccine ‘works and is safe'.

"I had no hesitation in giving this vaccine to my daughter and I have no hesitation in recommending it to my patients. If you have a daughter in first year, I recommend you consent to her getting the vaccine. If your daughter has missed the vaccine, the good news is it's not too late to sign her up. Do your research. You can trust the information onwww.hpv.ie," she commented.

Also speaking at the launch, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, and medical director of CervicalCheck, Prof Grainne Flannelly, said that in her work, she sees ‘all too frequently' the impact of HPV infections and cervical cancer.

"The evidence for the vaccine is compelling. We have a very real possibility now of eliminating cervical cancer in future generations of Irish women. But to achieve that we need to maintain our momentum in addressing our uptake rates and continue to restore them to where they were three years ago," she noted.

According to the latest World Health Organization safety statement on the HPV vaccine, since 2006, more than 270 million doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide. It assessed the vaccine and declared it as ‘extremely safe'.

In Ireland, over 230,000 girls have been vaccinated and none have been found to have any long-term side-effects as a result of receiving the vaccine, the HSE insisted.

The HPV vaccine is endorsed by the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), the Irish Pharmacy Union and the Irish Cancer Society's HPV Alliance, and by major medical and scientific bodies worldwide including the World Health Organization, the Centres for Disease Control in the US, the EU-funded European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

For more information about the vaccine, click here