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Beating Cervical Cancer
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A new HPV vaccine is being offered to all 12- and 13-year-old girls starting in September 2008
There is now a vaccine to protect against cervical cancer and it will be offered to your daughter when she starts her second year at secondary school. You may have heard about it on the radio, or seen advertisements on the television or in the newspapers. By having this vaccination, your daughter will be protected against the commonest cause of cervical cancer for many years to come.
In Derbyshire your local GP surgery will contact you to invite your daughter to attend for vaccination in September.
This is in contrast to other parts of the country where girls will be offered the vaccination in school.
I will be writing individually to those parents whose daughter is not registered with a Derbyshire county GP to provide further information about alternative arrangements for receiving the vaccine.
Below is some information about the virus and the vaccination, which I hope you will find useful. This is the first time a vaccine is available in this country which protects against cancer (it has already been used successfully with thousands of girls and young women in America, Australia and Germany). We now have the opportunity of helping to prevent the spread of a very serious disease that affects over 3000 women every year in the UK and causes over 1000 deaths.
I hope this information is of use to you. If you have any questions about this vaccine you can talk to your school nurse, your GP or practice nurse.
Yours Sincerely
Linda Syson-Nibbs
Nurse Consultant Public Health
Derbyshire County PCT HPV Programme Lead
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What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer affects the cervix (the entrance to the womb). It is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is spread from one person to another during sexual activity. There are over 100 types of HPV but only thirteen of these cause cervical cancer and just two – types 16 and 18 – cause over 70% of the cases.
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What is the HPV vaccine?
The HPV vaccine stops the virus from developing in the body and so prevents cervical cancer (in 70% of the cases).
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Why does my daughter have to have the vaccine at 12 or 13 years of age?
The virus that causes cervical cancer is spread by someone having sex or being sexually intimate with another person who has the virus. Both men and women can become infected with the virus. While most girls don’t start having sex until they are 16 or quite a lot older, it has been shown that the vaccine provides the best protection if given at 12 or 13 years of age.
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Why can’t her older sister be vaccinated too?
There will be catch up programmes for older girls in 2009 (17 & 18 year olds) and 2010 (15&16 year olds), so that by the end of summer 2011 all girls leaving school will have been protected against the most likely cause of cervical cancer
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How will I know when my daughter is going to have the vaccination?
You will be sent information from your local GP. To get the best protection she will need three injections over a period of six months.
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What if she doesn’t want to have the vaccination?
She doesn’t have to have it, if she doesn’t want to. But it is recommended that she does have it for the reasons given above. Having the vaccination now will protect her for many years. Suggest that she speaks to the nurse of doctor if she wants more information, on her own, or with you, if she’d prefer.
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What if she wants the vaccination but, as her parents, we’d rather she didn’t have it?
You should discuss this with your doctor or nurse to get more advice. The decision is legally hers as long as she understands the issues in giving consent but the nurse would much rather have your permission as well.
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For more information visit:
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