In a letter to MSPs Jo’s Trust, the UK’s leading cervical cancer charity, urges the Scottish Government to ensure that all young women have access to prevention programmes that can significantly reduce the risk of cervical cancer. 

Jo’s Trust has written to MSPs to invite them to sign an international ‘STOP Cervical Cancer’ petition that was launched across Europe this week as part of ‘European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week’, which aims to inform women that screening and vaccination against HPV can protect them against cervical cancer and call on the governments in Europe to take steps to reduce the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer. Around 60,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported every year across Europe and 28,000 women die.  

Pamela Morton, director, Jo’s Trust, said that while they are ‘delighted’ with the Government’s plans to implement a national vaccination programme for 12-18 year old girls, she said: “we are concerned that the NHS may not be adequately prepared for it to start on schedule in 2008.” 

Furthermore, in light of statistics that show that nearly half of the women between the age of 20 and 26 who are eligible for a smear test on the NHS decline it, Morton adds: “We also ask for it to consider how to reduce the risk to young women aged 18 to 26, who, at the moment are not eligible for vaccination on the NHS.”