Families are confused about Britain’s new cervical cancer vaccine – and this may cause problems for future screening programmes, a conference heard yesterday.
Many parents and girls think the HPV vaccine means they will not need to go for screening in the future, the Society of Academic Primary Care heard.
Some parents even gave consent to vaccination specifically to spare their daughters from screening, Dr Alison Clements, of Oxford University, said.
She told the conference at Bristol University that families needed information about screening to ensure they made informed decisions about vaccination.
She said: "To ensure the uptake of cervical screening is not adversely affected, future invitations for screening will need to stress the importance of attendance regardless of whether the individual has had the HPV vaccination or not."
Hazel Nunn, of Cancer Research UK, added: "While the vaccine is very effective at protecting against the two strains of virus which cause most cases of cervical cancer, and one of the biggest steps forward in public health in recent years, it does not protect against all the other strains so the disease can still develop.
"Cervical screening can prevent around 34 per cent of cervical cancers in women in their 30s, rising to 75 per cent in women in their 50s and 60s. Women should be reminded of the crucial role of screening in the fight against cervical cancer."
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