BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Girls as young as 12 in Britain are to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted disease which can cause cervical cancer, according to the Department of Health plans Monday.

    Girls could be immunized against the human papilloma virus (HPV) before they become sexually active under an National Health Service (NHS)-funded mass vaccination scheme. The virus is one of the main causes of cervical cancer, which kills around 1,000 women a year in the country.

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization is studying proposals for the NHS. The jabs could eventually replace the screening program where women are called in for a smear test every three years to check for early signs of cervical cancer.

    Immunization is strongly backed within the medical profession. Professor Alex Markham, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said vaccination could prevent almost three quarters of cases of the cancer, adding: "The advent of a vaccine is a very exciting development. HPV vaccination holds the potential to prevent the majority of cervical cancer cases in the UK."

    The vaccine has just been licensed in Britain earlier this year.

    Routine injections against HPV have already been adopted in some U.S. states and a handful of British parents have begun buying the injection for their daughters through private clinics.

    HPV is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted infection in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 6.2 million new cases of sexually transmitted HPV infections are reported every year in the United States alone.

    (Agencies)