25% women ignorant of cervical cancer prevention

ONE-IN-FOUR Irish women, quite wrongly, believe cervical cancer cannot be prevented, a new study has found.

And only 5% of women are aware of the virus that causes cervical cancer, despite the fact that up to 80% of sexually active women will catch it at some point in their lives.

While most infections caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) clear naturally, some may persist and lead to cervical cancer.