Young British Girls To Be Routinely Vaccinated Against HPV From September 2008

October 28, 2007 – 4:45 pm | posted in Cervical Cancer

The British government has announced that 12-13 year-old girls will be routinely vaccinated against HPV (human papillomavirus), as from September 2008. Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, during yesterday’s announcement said this move signals the government’s commitment to improve preventative measures.

According to official estimates, the whole program will cost approximately £100 million ($200m) annually. Further money will be spent on a catch-up campaign to make sure all girls up to the age of 18 are vaccinated, say officials.

Mr Johnson said “As a society we need to do more to prevent disease and not just treat it. Prevention is always better than cure and this vaccine will prevent many women from catching the human papillomavirus in the first place, potentially saving around 400 hundred lives a year.”

Harpal Kimar, CEO, Cancer Research UK, said “This is an exciting step towards preventing cervical cancer in the UK. While the vaccine has the potential to prevent many cases of the disease, the impact of a vaccination program won’t be felt for many years. Cervical screening remains vital in preventing the disease. We urge all women take up the invitation when they receive it.”

Officials have stressed that the screening program will continue after the HPV vaccine is introduced. This is because the vaccine protects against several, but not all cancer-causing strains of HPV.

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