Girls who leave school early risk missing out on vital cancer jab

While the uptake of the HPV vaccine - which guards against the main causes of cervical cancer - in schools is good, for those who have left at 16 and 17 the picture is worse.

Figures have shown only a third of the 1400 girls who left school in fourth or fifth year have received the first of three vaccinations, meaning NHS Lothian has one of the lowest uptakes in the country. This is despite the vaccine being free for under 18s.

In contrast, more than 90 per cent of eligible girls in the school system received the inoculation since its launch two years ago.

In a bid to improve rates in older girls, the health board said they have now created more venues and opened out-of-hours to solve the problem.

Cllr Lesley Hinds, Labour's health spokeswoman in Edinburgh, said: "The uptake in schools has been fantastic and that's credit to the publicity campaigns, but perhaps it's time to think about aiming it away from schools.

"I think we need to be more imaginative about targeting those who are slipping through the net, because it is possible they don't even know they're entitled to it.

"Targeting large employers and colleges in the city might be a way to do this, because it is vital people receive the jab."

The vaccine, which guards against the human papillomavirus, is unique in that it is a cancer preventing jab.

It prevents the sexually-transmitted virus which causes 70 per cent cervical cancer cases, a disease affecting hundreds of women each year in Scotland.

Experts always said it was more urgent for those in their early teens to receive it before they became sexually active.

Sally Egan, NHS Lothian's child health commissioner, said: "We work closely with the four local authorities to identify those girls who have left school and still require vaccination. We then contact them up to three times to encourage them to attend for vaccination.

"In order to help improve uptake figures this year we have increased the number of places where school leavers can go to be vaccinated.

"Last year we offered vaccination at our five out of hours centres, whereas this year vaccination is available from around 50 GPs across Lothian, making it more accessible to girls who have left school."

When it was launched, there were concerns that parents would object because it brought the topic of sexual health onto the agenda at a young age.

Those fears have not affected the massive majority of girls who have received it in schools.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We have always known that it would be more challenging to reach girls who have already left school, but health boards have been working hard to ensure that uptake is as high as possible."