NWCI joins HPV Vaccination Alliance

Published: Monday, October 09, 2017

Women’s health is a core part of NWCI’s work so we are proud to campaign with the HPV Vaccination Alliance to raise awareness of the pressing need for girls to take up the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

A motion, passed at our Annual General Meeting 2017, called on the NWCI to engage with the government and the HSE to ensure continued investment in communications campaigns providing clear, easy-to-understand advice on the HPV vaccine to ensure increased uptake. NWCI members passed this motion reflecting the fact that the combination of a HPV vaccination programme, along with the national screening programme, has the potential to reduce the incidence of cervical cancers by up to 90 per cent . Clearly, our members recognise cancer as a major health issue for women, with the burden carried by women experiencing economic and social disadvantage.

NWCI has long been a supporter of the ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ campaign by our member the Irish Family Planning Association to raise awareness about cervical cancer and encourage women to avail of the free cervical screen by CervicalCheck. Following our work to support cervical screening we are now expanding to show our strong support for the HPV vaccine, a key weapon in the fight against cancer.

The HPV vaccine provides us with a long-term strategy to prevent cervical cancer. The full benefits of the vaccine to reduce infection and the subsequent risk of cervical cancer will only be appreciated years, and even decades, after today’s second-level girls have been vaccinated.

Of course, while the HPV vaccine greatly reduces the risk of getting cervical cancer, it does not eliminate it completely. NWCI will continue to encourage women to get routine cervical cancer screenings.