Cervical Cancer Vaccine for British Schoolgirls From 2008
It was announced on the 26th October 2007 that vaccinations to prevent the onset of cervical cancer will be provided to all British schoolgirls aged 12 and 13. The programme will begin in September next year.
The measure exceeds a previous proposal made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which recommended injections for those aged 11 and 12, alongside a catch-up programme for girls up to 16 years old. Under the new terms, however, this catch-up age will extend to 18 years.
The vaccinations, says experts, have the potential to save hundreds of annual deaths caused by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) - the cause of cervical cancer.
The vaccine is to be administered over a six month period, during which, three injections will be given. Each course has a price tag of approximately three hundred pounds.
12 and 13 year old girls will be the first to benefit from the vaccinations in Autumn 2008 - the catch-ups starting 12 months later.
While today's announcement refers to schoolgirls in Britain, similar proposals have been announced for Welsh and Scottish girls also. In Northern Ireland, vaccinations are set to be provided for girls aged 12, but the exact details here have not yet been finalised.
Major Drug Firms in the Running to Provide Schoolgirl Cancer Vaccine
A pair of vaccines are under consideration to be the one used in Britain's schoolgirl programme - Merck/Sanofi Pasteur's Gardosil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix. The former is approved for use in 76 countries across the globe, while the latter has just been launched in this country. A definitive decision on which of these will be chosen has not yet been made.
In some quarters, today's announcement has led to fears that the vaccination programme will encourage those receiving it to become prematurely sexually active. However, parents will ultimately decide whether their daughters should have the jab or not.
Comment on the new measure was provided by GP Sarah Lotzof, who works at the private clinic Dedicated Doctors. Speaking to BBC Radio, Ms Lotzof described the programme's announcement as "...a huge breakthrough for our younger generation."
She added: "We can stop possibly 85% of people who would have died of cancer dying - and at the moment over 1,000 women are dying of this disease in this country now."
Approximately 80 per cent of women with an active sex life will contract an HPV infection during their lifetimes. HPVs are attributable for at least 70 per cent of cases involving cervical cancer, from which 274,000 women die each year around the world. In the UK, 1,120 cervical cancer deaths are recorded per annum.
The Lancet medical journal published a feature in 2006 in which it urged for compulsory vaccinations in respect of HPVs for all 11 and 12 year old girls within the European Union. To date, a number of countries run vaccination programmes, including Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Luxemburg, Belgium and Switzerland.
In the eyes of experts, the cost factor involved in the British programme is significant, but the benefits ultimately outweigh it.
"As a society we need to do more to prevent disease and not just treat it" Alan Johnson, the UK Health Secretary, stressed. He added; "Now, more than ever before, we need to make the NHS a service that prevents ill health and prioritises keeping people well."
Source - Pharmaceutical International's Health Reporter
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