Nine out of ten schoolgirls have received cervical cancer vaccine dose

Published on 26/03/2009 08:58

MORE than nine out of ten schoolgirls in Lothian have already received their first dose of the cervical cancer vaccine, new figures showed today.

The HPV vaccine is being offered to girls aged 12-17 in Scotland's first ever mass anti-cancer immunisation programme.

The immunisation - which takes the form of three doses over six months - protects against the virus that causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers,

Official statistics show since the programme was launched in September, 93.2 per cent of the 10,348 girls eligible for the jags in Lothian have received their first dose and 89.1 per cent have also had their second.

Both figures are slightly above the national average of 92.2 per cent for the first dose and 87.8 per cent for the second.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: "These results are a testament to the hard work of health boards, particularly frontline nursing staff. Schools have also worked very hard to ensure a smooth start for this new immunisation, which has been a huge success.

"Best of all, the figures show girls are well on the way to being immunised against the virus that causes nearly three quarters of cervical cancers – a cruel disease that still robs us of around one hundred women in Scotland ever year."

And visiting an immunisation clinic at Edinburgh's Broughton High School, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Harry Burns said: "HPV immunisation will save lives and these uptake statistics are hugely encouraging.

"Being able to offer an anti-cancer vaccine to thousands of girls is one of the most important developments in public health in Scotland in decades."