British schoolgirls are to be offered vaccinations against cervical cancer from next year, in a scheme which could save hundreds of lives a year, officials said Friday.
The introduction of the voluntary vaccinations for 12-13 year-olds from September 2008 is a recognition of the "need to do more to prevent disease and not just treat it," Health Secretary Alan Johnson said.
Cervical Cancer - Incidence
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women and is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths in developing countries
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Girls will be vaccinated against the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV causes around 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer which kills more than 1,000 women in Britain each year.
The basic programme of vaccinations will cost the country around 100 million pounds, but experts hope this will be offset by the reductions in treatment costs later.
![Cervical Cancer - Classification]( "Cervical Cancer - Classification")
Cervical cancer continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide.
Around 400 lives could potentially be saved each year, according to official estimates. A two-year "catch-up" campaign for girls aged 16 to 18 will begin in 2009 and girls aged 15-17 will be offered the jab in 2010.
The move was welcomed by health professionals including the Royal College of GPs and Cancer Research UK.
"The benefits of introducing this vaccine into the national immunisation programme will be felt by women and their families for generations to come," said Professor David Salisbury of the government's Department of Health.
Each year, more than 2,700 British women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and around 200,000 women a year also have pre-cancerous changes to their cervix picked up through smear tests.
Cervical cancer kills around 274,000 women worldwide every year.
Source: AFP
LIN/S
Cervical Cancer - Classification
Cervical cancer continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide.
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Around 400 lives could potentially be saved each year, according to official estimates. A two-year "catch-up" campaign for girls aged 16 to 18 will begin in 2009 and girls aged 15-17 will be offered the jab in 2010.
The move was welcomed by health professionals including the Royal College of GPs and Cancer Research UK.
"The benefits of introducing this vaccine into the national immunisation programme will be felt by women and their families for generations to come," said Professor David Salisbury of the government's Department of Health.
Each year, more than 2,700 British women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and around 200,000 women a year also have pre-cancerous changes to their cervix picked up through smear tests.
Cervical cancer kills around 274,000 women worldwide every year.
Source: AFP
LIN/S
Teenage Girls With STD Might Be Predisposed to Cancer
Ten percent of girls, under the age of 16, who are infected with sexually transmitted disease (STD) might be predisposed to cervical cancer later in life says a new study in UK.
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 One In Ten British Lasses Infected With HPV Before SixteenAccording to a study by the Health Protection Agency of England, at least 10 percent of girls in England have been infected by the age of 16 , with the human papilloma virus. | Advertisement
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