Protect young girls against deadly virus

HEALTH promotion bosses are targeting around 3,000 teenage girls in Oldham who slipped through the net when a potentially life-saving vaccine was given out.

A programme offering vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), for all girls aged 13 to 18 was launched two years ago, though some girls failed to take advantage.

Reporter Marina Berry spoke to the people running the catch-up programme to find out why teenagers should make an effort to get the vaccine.


HPV is one of Oldham and the rest of the country’s most common sexually-transmitted infections (STI).

Most new infections are among young people in their teens and early twenties when they are at their most sexually active.

And although in many cases the infection does not cause any problems, for a small minority it will lead to pre-cancer of the cervix.

Anyone who has ever had sexual contact with another person can get the virus, and health bosses say the vaccine now being offered can help Oldham’s teenage girls protect themselves.

In all, there are more than 90 strains of HPV, but the vaccine protects against the two which most commonly cause cervical cancer.

It is given in three injections over six months, and nurse Alison Howey, who is leading Oldham’s catch-up programme, said it was vital that teenagers made sure they took the whole course.

A second vaccination is given a month after the first, and the third at six months from the start, but by missing the third injection, protection can’t be guaranteed.

Alison said: “It’s really important to complete the course. The last injection boosts the vaccine considerably.”

Cervical cancer is not hereditary, and is responsible for the death of three women in the UK each day.

It is the most common women’s cancer after breast cancer, and in the UK, around 3,000 cases are diagnosed every year, and around 1,000 women die from it.

The virus is commonly caught through intimate sexual contact with another person who already has it and, because it is so common, most people will get infected at some point in their life.

It has no symptoms, most women will come into contact with a HPV strain at some time in their lives, and in most cases their own immune system will clear it up.

But those who contract the high risk types of HPV will go on to develop cervical abnormalities which, if left, could develop into cervical cancer.

The vaccination programme was introduced because there is currently no way to tell who is at risk of developing cervical cancer from the HPV virus.

Women of all ages are still advised to get a regular smear test, because the vaccine does not protect against other types of cervical cancer.

A smear test will pick up early signs of changes in the cervix, and is offered every three years to women aged 25 to 50, then once every five years up to the age of 64.

Cervical cancer is more common among women who smoke, who first had sex at an early age, who have had several sexual partners, or who has a partner who has had several other partners, and people on medication which suppresses their immune system.

Using a condom offers only limited protection against catching the virus.

More than 700,000 doses of vaccine have already been given to girls across the country.

Oldham’s school health service offers HPV vaccinations to girls aged 12 and 13, and has one of the best uptakes in the North-West, at 95 per cent.

When the vaccine was originally introduced, the teenagers now involved in the catch-up programme were above the upper age limit.

And the advice to teenagers who are not protected by the vaccine is: “You may be careful, but can you be sure that your partner has been in the past?”

Alan Higgins, Oldham’s Director of Public Health, urged girls who are eligible to take advantage of the offer.

He said: “Just dropping in to have something as simple as the HPV vaccine can stop the two most common causes of cervical cancer — which is the second biggest cause of death by cancer among women.”

The vaccine is given by an injection into the muscle of the upper arm.

Clinical trials show the vaccine is 99 per cent effective, providing all three doses are taken, and current studies suggest it protects against HPV for six years.

Young people who are eligible for the vaccine are being contacted either through school or at their home address.

Girls born between September 1, 1991, and August 31, 1993, can also make an appointment for vaccination by calling 0191-518 1564 or freephone 0800-681 6518. Alternatively, they can text their full name and first line of their address to 07799-643 542 or visit www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/HPV  

For more information on cervical cancer, visit www.nhs.uk/hpv