A vaccine against cervical cancer is being made available across Ireland from today.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said the vaccination campaign will help protect more than 57,000 schoolgirls from developing cervical cancer as adults.
Dr Brenda Corcoran, of the HSE National Immunisation Office, said cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Ireland among women aged 15 to 44.
It is hoped the vaccine will eventually save 60 lives every year.
"Around 250 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, with around 80 deaths. The HPV vaccine will prevent at least 70 per cent of these cases," said Dr Corcoran.
The drug - Gardasil - is free of charge and is being offered to all girls attending the first and second year of second level schools.
Dr Corcoran said Gardasil is a safe and fully tested vaccine which protects against the main cancer-causing strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is proven to cause cervical cancer.
"It is a common virus - about 80 per cent of people will have a HPV infection during their lifetime," she continued. "Even though it will take time for the impact of the vaccination programme to be seen, this vaccine will help protect the future health of this generation of young girls, and the generations to come."
The HSE said informed consent is a critical element of any vaccination campaign, adding that parents should receive information from verifiable, credible and unbiased sources.
Most of the vaccinations will be administered in schools by HSE immunisation teams, with some girls being invited to HSE clinics for their vaccine.
Parents or guardians will receive an information pack and consent form from the HSE, via the school, ahead of a child's vaccine.
Over 100 extra staff are to be recruited by the HSE to ensure the roll-out of the vaccination programme can continue as planned this term. The agreement to recruit an additional 27 senior medical officers and 88 nurses for a 16-week period to deliver the vaccination programme was reached after 14 hours of talks at the Labour Relations Commission on Saturday morning.