Scots teenagers first to test cervical cancer vaccine
Published: November 20, 2005
Around 260 women from Glasgow were given the first injections of the vaccine two years ago and a further 100 were vaccinated this year. They were recruited through their GPs after researchers advertised for young women who had had fewer than three sexual partners.
The vaccine, which is given in three doses over a six-month period, conveys immunity against different strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which cause about 70% of all cervical cancers. The virus is usually transmitted through sexual contact.
Researchers will now carry out regular tests on the women for a further two years to see if the vaccine protects them against the disease.
Crawford said: “We will now look at the long-term effect and see if it gives lifelong protection or if patients will need a booster shot. If approved for use in this country, the vaccine could help solve a major public health problem.”
Currently women are given routine smear tests every three years once they become sexually active to check for the early signs of the cancer. Screening programmes in the UK have led to a significant drop in the number of deaths from cervical cancer by detecting cells infected with the viruses before they turn cancerous. But nearly a fifth of women invited fail to attend appointments, meaning many cancers are missed.
Sanofi Pasteur claims that its vaccine would be most effective if given to girls as young as 10 years old so they have immunity against the viruses before they become sexually active. “Scotland has cervical cancer death rates that are slightly above the rest of the EU,” said Nicholas Kitchin, the company’s medical director. “This is partly due to the higher levels of underage sex and lower uptake of screening.
“Infection rates with HPV rise very steeply from about the age of 13 years old as people become sexually active, so it is important to vaccinate them before that happens.”
But this has angered some critics who claim it will encourage children to have underage sex because it will make them believe it is safer.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church said: “To mass-vaccinate all 10 to 15-year-old girls has the potential to send out the wrong signals. There are other sexually transmitted diseases besides HPV that can be spread by casual sex, and by eliminating one element of risk it might act as a green light for promiscuous behaviour.”
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