Cervical cancer vaccine to be offered to local schoolgirls
HUNDREDS of 12 and 13-year-old schoolgirls in West Norfolk are to be offered a vaccine to protect them from cervical cancer which can be transmitted by sexual activity.
From this month, girls aged 12 to 13 in school Year Eight will be offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, following a the success of a recent campaign targeting a different age group.
The vaccine is 99 per cent effective in preventing the cervical abnormalities which can lead to cervical cancer caused by two types of HPV.
Organisers of the vaccination programme are hoping the campaign will be as successful as the last, which saw thousands of girls accepting the offer for the vaccine.
Between September 2008 and June 2009, more than 3,670 girls aged 12 to 13 in Norfolk received the first of their recommended three injections.
This means 88.4 per cent of 12 to 13-year-old girls in NHS Norfolk's area receiving their first of three injections in one school year, already almost reaching the target to vaccinate 90 per cent of girls in this age group.
There are over 100 types of HPV, but only 13 of them are known to cause cancer.
HPV types 16 and 18 cause more than 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer and the vaccine is 99 per cent effective at protecting girls from these two types.
Maureen Carson, chief nurse and director of women and children's commissioning for NHS Norfolk, urged young women to take up the offer of the vaccine.
She said: "In the last school year, a great number of girls aged 12 to 13 accepted the offer of the HPV vaccine which shows huge support for the vaccination campaign by both girls and their parents. To have almost met our target for this age group in just one school year is very positive.
"Around 1,000 women die of cervical cancer every year in the UK and it is the second most common cancer affecting women worldwide.
"It is important that more young women accept this offer of a vaccination, as it will help protect them from becoming part of these statistics in the future."
Updated information on the vaccination programme will be published at www.norfolk.nhs.uk and will also be available through the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 0800 587 4132.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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