Last updated 12:40, Friday, 05 September 2008

FURNESS schoolgirls and students are to be offered a vaccination which could cut cases of cervical cancer in Cumbria by nearly three-quarters.

DR NIGEL CALVERT

But the HPV, or human papillomavirus, vaccine will be offered to all 12 and 13-year-old girls in school Year Eight from this month.

Girls aged between 17 and 18 will also be offered the vaccination.

The vaccine protects against the two types of HPV which cause more than 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

Cumbria Primary Care Trust is now organising an on-going programme in schools.

From August 2009 and lasting for two years, there will also be a catch-up vaccination programme for girls aged 15 to 18 years old so by the summer 2011 all girls leaving school will be protected.

The vaccine will be given in three doses over six months.

The parents of the more than 3,000 eligible girls in Cumbria received information about the vaccination over the summer and it is up to parents and the girls whether they take up the offer or not.

Dr Nigel Calvert, associate director of public health at NHS Cumbria, said: “New cases of cervical cancer have been falling for years thanks to the national cervical cancer screening programme.

“The HPV vaccination should ensure the 11 or so women who currently die each year from cervical cancer in Cumbria falls significantly in the years to come.

“The HPV vaccination programme is another important step forward that will benefit the health of women in Cumbria for years to come.”

HPV is spread through sexual contact but it has been shown that the vaccine provides the best protection if it is given at the ages of 12 or 13.

There are more than 100 types of HPV but only 13 cause cancer, while the vaccination protects against types 16 and 18, which are responsible for most cases.

The virus can be present in surface cells in the cervix for years without causing harm and then start damaging cells. Cervical screening can detect these changes.

The trust is also warning the vaccine doesn’t protect against all HPV viruses and it will be essential that the girls take part in NHS cervical cancer screening when they are old enough.

Further information is available at www.immunisation.nhs/Vaccines/HPV or by calling the national HPV helpline on 0845 6023 303.