Government U turn on cervical cancer vaccine & impliment Bowel cancer screening programme

Minister for health Mary Harney today announced that the cervical cancer vaccine which had been shelved last year is to go ahead. Minister Harney stated in a press conference today that the price of the vaccine had been renegotiated from a estimated 16 million euro to 3 million euro. The vaccine is to be offered to all female first year students.

You may remember last year we supported an Irish online call for the cervical vaccine to be made available.

Also in the news today the Government have announced a new screening process for bowel cancer to begin in 2012. Bowel cancer is the second most fatal form of cancer in the Republic Of Ireland. The screening process is to focus upon people in their sixties.

On the 26th of December, TV3 broke a story about Minister Brian Lenihan being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.