One in seven British girls at risk of cervical cancer as they fail to get life-saving HPV jabs
ONE in seven girls is at increased risk of cervical cancer because they are not receiving a vaccine that protects against the disease, figures show.
Just 85.1 per cent had completed the full course of HPV jabs by the recommended age last year, compared with 86.7 per cent in 2013/14.
Girls are typically given a “priming” injection in year eight and a second jab in year nine, when they are 13 or 14 years old.
They must receive both in order to be fully protected.
All girls should be offered the human papilloma virus vaccination as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.
But figures from Public Health England show huge regional variations in the take-up of the jabs of between 43.7 per cent and 99.1 per cent.
Officials say a shortage of school nurses may be responsible for the shortfall.
Many were busy delivering the childhood flu vaccine programme, which was last year extended to kids in school years one and two.
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They also administer the school leaver booster jab for diphtheria, tetanus and polio, as well as injections for meningitis.
The HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer, which kills around 970 women a year in the UK.
It’s estimated that about 400 lives could be saved every year as a result of vaccinating girls before they are infected with HPV.
Some 2,900 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the UK each year. And it is the second most common form of the disease in women under the age of 35.
The human papilloma virus is the name given to a family of viruses, which are easily spread by sexual activity.
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Different types of HPV are classed as either high risk or low risk, depending on the conditions they can cause.
Some can cause warts or verrucae, while others are associated with cervical cancer.
In 99 per cent of cases, cervical cancer occurs as a result of a history of infection with high-risk types of HPV. Often, infection with the HPV causes no symptoms.
Robert Music, from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said it was “disappointing” to see take-up of vaccination fall from previous years.
He added: “We also want to ensure that every girl, whether they have received the vaccination or not, understands that they still need to attend cervical screening when invited to further reduce their risk of cervical cancer.”
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, said: “The HPV immunisation programme continues to achieve very high coverage since its introduction in 2008 and is one of the most successful HPV programmes globally, with 85 per cent of girls receiving both HPV doses in 2015/16 .
“The vaccine is given by school immunisers who are key to the getting such a high level of adolescents immunised.
“If girls miss any doses they can still receive these up until their eighteenth birthday.”