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LABOUR’S ALAN KELLY has said his party will table a motion calling for the HPV vaccine to be extended to boys.
Speaking to Newstalk’s Chris Donohoe at the party’s think-in in Athy in Kildare, Kelly said he has been working with Health Minister Simon Harris on the initiative.
From the years 2014 -2015, there was an 87% uptake in the HPV vaccine – the highest since the programme began in 2010. However, immunisation rates have now fallen below 50%.
The health minister, along with other politicians, have attributed the fall-off in the uptake to misinformation being circulated from anti-vaccine campaigners.
The move to extend the roll-out of the vaccine comes after controversial comments about the vaccine by Minister of State for Disabilities, Finian McGrath.
McGrath has since said he stands over the fact that he raised the concerns of parents, but that he accepts “that such vaccines are a very important part of Government health strategy”.
It was always the intention to roll out the HPV vaccine to boys in Ireland – but due to the slowdown in rates, the timetable has been delayed.
Boys at risk
Although it’s thought that men aren’t affected by the virus because of it’s strong link to cervical cancer, men are at risk and encouraged to get the vaccine.
The HPV vaccine can prevent men from contracting genital warts as well as HPV-associated cancers. The primary forms of cancers caused by HPV are:
For women, the provision of the vaccine to girls in their first year of secondary school has been in place in Ireland since 2010.
When it was then introduced by Minister for Health Mary Harney, the plan was originally to roll the free vaccine out to boys as well – but this has yet to happen.
Health regulator, Hiqa, is carrying out a review on whether boys should get the vaccine, but the results are not expected until next year, which Labour argues is too late.
A symposium in Dublin earlier this year discussed the rise of HPV in cancers other than cervical cancer, including a significant rise in some head and neck cancers.
Fine Gael Kate O’Connell told TheJournal.ie there has been a “huge rise” in head, neck, anal genital cancers in men.
“Young boys in this country as a result of a campaign are not being vaccinated. There is a sense of inequality there… the boys are not getting what we had planned to give them,” she said.
Labour party think-in
The issue is likely to be discussed further at the party’s think-in today.
Kelly said he is enjoying working as Labour’s health spokesperson, but said he still has ambitions to be the leader of the party one day.
He said the party has to “get back to its roots” and has been forced to do a lot of “soul-searching” since the devastating results of the last election which reduced their parliamentary party members by half.
While Kelly said he believes they will be able to retrieve the party from the ashes, with hopes they might even double their seats in the next election, he said the party must consider carefully who they might go into coalition with, if that is an option.
Whether that is Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, Kelly said it “doesn’t make any difference”.
“We would consider it,” he said.
However, he said his party “wouldn’t be interested” in going into government with Sinn Féin.
Poll ratings are a worry
The party’s ratings in the polls have struggled to get into the double digits. Despite what other parties might say, Kelly said everyone worries about the polls.
He acknowledged that Labour must see a boost in the polls by the end of the year, and hinted that if this fails to materialise, the party might have to make some changes.
However, he would not be pushed on whether this meant a change in leadership, stating that Labour leader Brendan Howlin is “doing his best in what was very difficult circumstances”.
Kelly said he believes numbers will return to Labour stating:
“The politics of populism and eternal protest… people are going to get sick and tired of that.
“You can’t always be against everything and for nothing,” he said.
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I think anyone living on their own should have a room where they could lock themselves in and be able to sound a loud siren if they need to.
Had an elderly relative nearly left for dead by 3 gougers who left empty-handed after a couple of hours beating him up.
Like Panic Room? Last time Forest Whitaker almost killed Jodie Foster in there as far as I can remember.
How about maybe having judicial system that works instead?
Let me guess – those dirt bags had 10 previous convictions, but never been in jail longer than a week?
They were well known to the Guards. Got away with it but karma got some of them through other incidents they were involved in.
Better still you should be allowed to pump them full of lead. If they enter your house while you are in it. Self defence after all.
What is anyone doing about the feral scüm class? Why do we continue to let the breed and reward them for doing sowhen the people who pay for them can’t even afford families themselves? Surely some sort of voluntary sterilisation program is order where by members of the feral scüm class are given slightly easier sentences once caught in act of scümbaggery if they agree to be neutered? We could even offer a once of payment of €100,000 if they agree which is halved if they already have a child and halved again for any subsequent child. In the long run, we’d be saving money.
If you lock up the criminals then the legal profession go hungry and who will invest in Government bonds and vulture funds then ? -’Twould be total anarchy no jobs for economists or anything – R.T.E. would have nothing to report , Primetime would be replaced by Gareners Advice and Crimecall would not afford our Gardaí much needed exposure !
Don’t be silly gkrell , society as we know would end !
Gardeners’
what amazes me though is we usually follow the uk in their legislation…but do you ever hear a judge in Ireland sentence someone to minimum sentences..IE: Life , with a recommendation they serve 25yrs before being allowed to apply for parole etc…its common practice in the uk…
All this violence in the news these days is very disheartening =/
That’s awful but yet four hours ago the journal rubbed the Dubs noses in it that Cork was a much better place to live !!
http://jrnl.ie/1748376
So Dublin is great then?
Langer.
Brian I’m not saying Dubljn is great but it is bad out pitting counties against each other and painting a picture of a place through rose tinted glasses everywhere has its good and Bad points but the journal are stirring the s…
That article was on Culture in Cork.
I’m from Cork City, I didn’t write the article, the city didn’t write the article.
And this article has nothing to do with it.
We’re all from Ireland anyway, lets just take pride in that.
Touché
Grow up.
Bryan ya knob everyone knows Dublin is way better!
We have better breed of chavs in cork
Sooner or later the Socialist State will result in more crime. Just keep supporting the welfare state and you will pay a huge price. If you had an immigrant problem such as ours as well as a large parasite class such as we do, you would have complete chaos. A “panic room” room !!! Are the Irish kidding? A 44 Magnum is the answer. As Clint Eastwood said “Make My Day”. Johnny McCullough from Martinsburg, WV.
What we need is analytical methods and good intelligence work to catch these criminals ! But I hear that department are a bit busy catching real criminals !
Needless to say I hope the victim makes a full recovery ..
The solution by the way is cameras on the gable end of your house ! Know a Guy who had his garage broken into three times put up a camera and now he doesn’t have to even close his door …
have your say