Sinead Tuite
Vaccines Business Lead, MSD Ireland
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, can be difficult to discuss due to misconceptions, stigma and limited information, making clear, informed family health conversations especially crucial.
Most people will come into contact with at least one type of HPV throughout their lifetime and for many, the infection clears naturally without causing harm.1 HPV rarely causes symptoms, which means many people who have it do not know they carry it.2 However, some types of HPV are known as high-risk because they are associated with certain HPV-related cancers, including cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancer.2
How much do people know about HPV?
Despite how widespread it is, research commissioned by MSD Ireland and carried out by Ipsos B&A among more than 1,000 people suggests that public understanding of HPV remains limited. Only one in 10 people surveyed said they were aware of and had a full understanding of what HPV is, while 93% did not realise how widespread the virus is.3 The research also found that 38% of people did not know or were unaware that HPV can lead to certain types of HPV-related cancer.3
There is a national ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040
through a combination of awareness, screening, vaccination and treatment
The research highlighted a gap in understanding when it comes to boys versus girls. Nearly one in four people surveyed were unaware that boys can develop certain types of HPV-related cancers.3 HPV can affect people of all genders. If the conversation stays focused on girls, boys can be missed.
Trusted information makes a real difference
In Ireland, the national HPV vaccination programme is offered to students in the first year of secondary school as part of the HSE School Immunisation Programme.4 There is also an additional opportunity for young people who may have missed vaccination when it was first offered through the Laura Brennan HPV vaccination schools catch-up programme.5
There is a national ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through a combination of awareness, screening, vaccination and treatment. Thanks to those joint efforts, Ireland is now on track to achieve this within the space of one generation.4
For many families, the most useful starting point may simply be a conversation. What do we know about HPV? What have we assumed? Have we read the information that came from school? Parents want to make decisions that support their children’s future health. When the information is clear, reliable and easy to access, those decisions become easier to make.3
For more information about HPV and the School Immunisation Programme, parents can visit the HSE website: School Vaccination Programme.
Further educational information is also available through HPV Aware, a website developed, funded and provided by MSD Ireland: www.hpvaware.ie
[1] HSE, What Cervical Screening Is, 2022. Last accessed July 2026.
[2] NHS, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), 2022. Last accessed July 2026.
[3] MSD Data on File 2025. The research was commissioned by MSD Ireland and carried out by Ipsos B&A on a sample population of 1,000+ adults in Ireland. 2025.
[4] HSE, Cervical Cancer Prevention Starts with HPV, 2026. Last accessed July 2026.
[5] Gov.ie, Ministers for Health and Education and Youth announce the next phase of the Laura Brennan HPV Vaccine Catch-Up Programme, 2026. Last accessed July 2026.
