A vaccination programme began in 2010 among school-age girls in the Republic of Ireland to tackle the human papilloma virus, which spreads through genital or oral contact and can cause a number of cancers. The vaccine was offered to girls only because men who have sex with women would logically also be protected from transmission through ‘herd immunity’. However, advocates complained that relying on a ‘herd immunity’ plan left gay men vulnerable. As gay men have sex with eachother and not exclusively with women, they are effectively left without any protection from HPV spreads. The Irish government confirmed this week that it would begin offering HPV vaccines to men who have sex with men. Fiona Lyons, Clinical Lead in Sexual Health at Ireland’s Health Service Executive, announced at a sexual health conference this weekend that the HPV vaccine will be made available to men who have sex with men and to people living with HIV.