Cervical cancer jab programme expanded

The government has expanded its cervical cancer vaccine programme to include an additional 300,000 teenage girls, previously ineligible.

Under a previous declaration by the Department of Health made last month, some 17 to 18-year-olds were not covered and the latest move follows the government's decision to use a cheaper vaccine.

Previously, it was announced that every 12 and 13-year-old girl would be given the Cervarix vaccine from this September, while 14 to 18 year-old girls would vaccinated under a catch-up programme next year.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Our policy to vaccinate girls against cervical cancer is one of the biggest public health campaigns in recent history. It will mean that up to 400 girls' lives will be saved each year.

"By choosing the right vaccine we have been able to make savings, which means we can extend the programme to 17 and 18-year-olds. This could save an additional 400 lives."

The Cervarix vaccine tackles two strains of the human papilloma virus, the cause of 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

However, the decision to opt for Cervarix over the Gardasil vaccine has been criticised by sexual health charities due to the former not protecting against genital warts, as the latter does.

But speaking to Monday's Times newspaper, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "The contract has been awarded for the vaccine that scored best overall against a number of pre-agreed criteria and offers best overall value to the NHS.

"The vaccination programme has always been about cervical cancer protection, irrespective of which vaccine was chosen. We chose the vaccine that best met this need."