Ministers for Health and Education and Youth announce the next phase of the Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine Catch-Up Programme

Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD and Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, have today (Thursday) announced the launch of the next phase of the Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine Catch-Up Programme, beginning with students in fifth and sixth year of post-primary school by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

This catch-up programme is designed to offer a further vaccination opportunity to young people, both male and female, who may have missed earlier opportunities to receive the HPV vaccine. The programme will be delivered primarily through schools.

This programme continues the legacy of Laura Brennan whose advocacy transformed HPV vaccine uptake in Ireland. The Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine Catch-Up programme was initially launched in 2022.

During the first phase of the schools programme, free HPV vaccines will be provided to students in fifth and sixth year of post-primary school between January and August 2026. If your child is home-educated and born between 1 September 2006 and 31 August 2009 and did not receive the HPV vaccine in first year of post-primary school, the free HPV vaccine is still available.

In the following phase, these vaccines will be available to students from second to fifth year in the 2026/2027 academic year.

It is important to remember that the most effective time to get the HPV vaccine is when it is first offered. The routine school-based immunisation programme, which offers the HPV vaccine to first-year students in post-primary school nationally, will continue as normal throughout 2026.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said:

Mother of Laura Brennan, Bernadette Brennan said:

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Mary Horgan said:

Consultant in Public Health Medicine and National Immunisation Lead at the HSE’s National Immunisation Office, Dr Lucy Jessop said:

The HSE has advised that regional vaccination teams will be visiting local schools to offer the vaccine to eligible students. For home-educated children, parents will be advised to contact their Local Health Office (LHO) for details on where to receive the vaccine. LHO contact details are available at www.immunisation.ie.

It should be noted that young people aged 16 years and over can provide consent themselves to receive the vaccination. Parents/guardians will be asked to provide consent for young people aged 15 years and under.