Town leads the way with anti-cancer jab

UPTAKE of the anti-cervical cancer vaccine HPV is higher in Warrington than anywhere else in the North West.
Since September last year, more than 92 per cent of 12-13 year-old girls in the borough have received all three doses of the vaccine.
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a family of viruses that affect the skin and membranes that line the body. There are more than 100 different types of HPV with two of the more common types responsible for 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer.
A national programme began in 2008 to vaccinate girls aged 12-13 as well as a three-year “catch-up” campaign to offer the HPV vaccine, also known as the cervical cancer jab, to older girls aged 14-17.
Cllr Mike Hannon, (pictured) deputy leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I would like to thank and congratulate everyone who contributed to this impressive statistic; the schools, the Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust and the Public Health Team.
“Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35 in the UK, so it’s wonderful that so many young women in Warrington will be protected.”
Since September 1 last year 3,343 doses of the vaccine were administered in Warrington.
Across the UK, from September 2008 to July last year, at least four million doses were given.