This is great news.

The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, has said that the HPV vaccine will be extended to boys following recommendations by HIQA. It is believed that the vaccine will be rolled out to boys in school from September 2019. HIQA also recommended that a more effective version of the HPV vaccine be given to girls, while also calling for the extension to boys. It is expected that the cost of the extension and the updated version of the vaccine will be almost €12 million, spread over the next five years. In a statement, Minister Harris said that he welcomed the HIQA recommendation, and the proposed extension of the HPV vaccination to young boys. "Funding has already been made available in the budget to facilitate the introduction of this initiative in 2019, subject to a favourable recommendation being made in the assessment report," he added. "Today is a good day for the health of future generations of Irish people," CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power said in response to the announcement. The CEO of the Children's Rights Alliance said: "It is critical that planning for the roll-out of the HPV vaccine to boys gets under way immediately." "Communicating to parents the extraordinary health benefits this vaccine provides will be a critical aspect in ensuring a high uptake rate."