Plea on cancer vaccine for girls

The HPV virus can cause cancer

Health chiefs in Guernsey say they are trying to ensure that girls do not miss out on a free vaccine to reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.

Year 8 pupils (aged between 12 and 13) were offered the jab, which protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), for the first time in September.

However, some eligible girls have not still received it.

The Health and Social Services Department has written to them to ask them if they want the vaccine.

The department said it was extremely important that those who had not been vaccinated took up the opportunity now, as, by next September, they would no longer be offered it.

The treatment is currently only being offered to Year 8 girls, although there are plans for it to be offered to all up to the age of 18 in the future.

The vaccination programme is being run in parallel with a similar one in the UK.

There are 233,000 deaths a year from cervical cancer worldwide.

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