(SF)

HPV has links to the onset of cervical cancer

At least one in 10 girls has picked up a sexual infection linked to cancer by the age of 16, figures suggested today.

A study by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimated that at least 10% of young women in England have caught one or more strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) by the age of 16.

The authors also warned of a "substantial risk" of young girls having an HPV infection by the age of 14.

Their study estimated that, by the age of 18, around 20% of girls will show signs of having contracted HPV and, by the age of 24, around 40% will do so.

Across all females aged 10 to 29, an average of 21% are estimated to show signs of having caught at least one strain of HPV, said the study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

HPV is linked to most cases of cervical cancer. In June, the Government signalled its intention to begin vaccinating girls as young as 12 against HPV from as early as next year.

The jabs would revolutionise the approach to tackling cervical cancer, which kills more than 1,000 women in the UK each year.

The authors of the latest study said their findings "suggest that there is already a substantial risk of HPV infection in girls in England by the age of 14 years, which has implications for the age at which vaccination should be delivered"

The jab would not be compulsory but would be offered to girls in all parts of the UK.

Each year around 2,800 British women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 1,000 die from the disease.

Around 200,000 women a year also have pre-cancerous changes to their cervix picked up through smear tests.

The HPA also released a "modelling" study showing that a vaccination programme would be a cost-effective use of NHS resources if the jab protected girls against cervical cancer for at least 20 years.

Norman Wells, from the Family Education Trust, said: "These disturbing figures highlight the failure of sex education programmes which tell children that there is nothing wrong with sex at any age so long as they use a condom.

"The truth is that HPV is spread by direct skin-to-skin contact as well as by contact with bodily fluids infected with the virus, so condoms offer only limited protection.

"So long as the Government continues to encourage teenage sexual activity by making contraception freely and confidentially available in school clinics and other settings, sexually transmitted infection rates will continue to rise.

"The real need is not to normalise condom use, but to normalise saving sex for marriage and then remaining faithful to your husband or wife for life."

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