LONDON, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The government is set to launch a vaccination scheme to prevent young schoolgirls in England from the virus that causes cervical cancer.
The scheme is expected to start from September 2008, and the vaccine will be offered routinely to 12 to 13-year-olds, including a possible catch-up campaign up to the age of 16 to 18, BBC reported Friday.
But parents would have the final say as to whether their child received the injection, the report said.
Similar moves are expected from the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government, the reported said.
Vaccinating against human papilloma virus (HPV) which is held responsible for some 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, a disease killing 274,000 women worldwide every year, could save hundreds of lives in the UK each year.
About 80 percent of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
Two vaccines have been developed, with Gardasil already approved in 76 countries, and Cevarix launched in the United Kingdom recently. Both cost about 300 pounds for three injections over six months.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson was quoted as saying: "As a society we need to do more to prevent disease and not just treat it." As many as 400 lives could potentially be saved each year, with many women prevented from getting HPV in the first place, he said.
The vaccine is most effective when given to women prior to any exposure to the virus, meaning before they start having sex, and vaccination could prevent almost three quarters of cases of the cancer, according to Cancer Research UK chief executive Alex Markham.
