Call to vaccinate all 12-year-old girls against cervical cancer

ALL 12-year-old girls should be vaccinated against cervical cancer when they start secondary school, the state’s health services’ watchdog has urged.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is also recommending a once-off vaccination for 13- to 15-year-old girls.

A study carried out for the authority found that a vaccination programme for 12-year-old girls would reduce the annual number of cases of cervical cancer by 56% and achieve a similar reduction in the number of deaths from the disease.