The availability of a vaccine to protect against certain forms of cancer is being widened to include men up to their 22nd birthday.
Since its launch last year, the Laura Brennan HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine Catch-Up Programme has offered free HPV vaccines to all boys and girls in second-level education who were previously eligible to receive the vaccine in school and who had not yet received it.
From Tuesday, those newly eligible can register to get the vaccine at hpv.ie until 31 December.
It is also open to women up to the age of 25 who have left secondary school and did not previously receive the vaccine.
The vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause approximately 90% of cervical cancers, 90-95% of HPV-related anal cancer and 90% of genital warts.
The programme is named in memory of Laura Brennan who campaigned for higher uptake of the HPV vaccine before her death in 2019 from cervical cancer at the age of 26.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said: "It is by increasing HPV vaccination and screening among our population that we will finally reach our goal of eliminating cervical cancer in Ireland.
"I'm also encouraging young men to take this opportunity to protect themselves against a number of cancers caused by HPV."
Chief Medical Officer Professor Breda Smyth said: "The HPV vaccine is proven to be safe and effective and it saves lives.
"I am urging all young people who did not previously avail of the vaccine in school to consider getting it."
The HPV vaccine is available free-of-charge through HSE vaccination clinics.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Minister Donnelly said: "The vaccine is free, it will be administered via the vaccination clinics and it's really important the vaccine protects men from several types of cancer, including mouth cancer, anal cancer, throat cancer.
"Also men can pass the virus on to women through sexual contact. So, it's protecting women as well against cervical cancer and other cancers."
Mr Donnelly said it is important that for boys and young men, and for the parents of boys, to sign their children up for this vaccine.
"Our ambition is to eliminate cervical cancer in this country. A combination of HPV vaccines, HPV screening, earlier detection and better and better treatments mean that that is very much our ambition.
"And Ireland is being looked at around the world as a leading country in terms of vaccination and early detection and treatment."
The programme will run to the end of the year and will then be reviewed to see if it is going to be extended, he said.
