Girls as young as 12 could be vaccinated from next year against a virus that causes cervical cancer, the Government announced yesterday.

It is thought that a national vaccination programme could prevent 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases and save more than 1,000 lives each year.

All girls aged 12 and 13 could receive the vaccine in three doses over a six-month period at a cost of £300 per full course, the Department of Health said.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended the use of the jabs to protect against the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer. The department said it had agreed “in principle” to accept the committee’s advice, subject to an independent review of the costs to the NHS.

But experts say that it could be 20 years before the first health benefits are seen. The vaccines are also expensive, costing more than all the immunisations each child currently receives put together. However, campaigners say that the vaccines represent value for money given how effective they are in combating HPV, which is common among sexually active young women.

Some campaigners and religious groups have expressed concerns that providing a jab to children to protect against the sexually transmitted infection may encourage promiscuity. But in a recent survey by Man-chester University, only a small minority of parents expressed concern about the sexual implications.

Caroline Flint, the Public Health Minister, said she was “delighted to announce that we intend, in principle, to introduce an HPV vaccine into the national immunisation programme”. But there were conditions, a statement added. The programme would have to undergo an “independent peer review of the cost-benefit analysis”, while funding would be “considered in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review”. She said: “We are still working on the details and logistics, and will work closely with the NHS to ensure the vaccination can be delivered effectively. However, we are hoping that girls will start being vaccinated from as early as 2008.”

Smear-testing programmes would continue if vaccination were introduced, she said. This was because of the gap between the ages of vaccination and first screening, and because the jab did not protect against all HPV types that may cause the cancer.

Sarah Jarvis, of the Royal College of GPs, welcomed the decision. “The cervical screening programme will continue to be hugely important, but HPV immunisation offers a real step towards freedom of anxiety for this horrible condition.”

Anne Szarewski, of the Wolf-son Institute of Preventive Medicine at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, added: “Cervical screening will need to continue for at least 20 years, particularly for those women who have the vaccine after the onset of sexual activity, as they may not derive as much benefit as those who are vaccinated before they start having sex.”

David Elliman, consultant in community child health at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said that giving the jab to boys should be considered.

Baroness Gould of Potternewton, chairman of the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, said: “We have a tool to help protect young women against cervical cancer. We must use it.”

HPV immunisation programme

Routine vaccination of girls could start as soon as the autumn of next year

The jabs would not be compulsory but would be offered to girls throughout Britain

Parents will have the final say on whether their child receives any vaccine

Each year cervical cancer is diagnosed in about 2,800 British women and more than 1,000 die from the disease

About 200,000 women a year also have precancerous changes to their cervix picked up in smear tests

There are two potential vaccines that could be used: Gardasil, made by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur, has already been recommended for use in several countries; Cervarix is expected to be introduced in Europe this year

In a trial of more than 12,000 women, researchers found that Gardasil was almost 100 per cent effective against the two particular strains, known as HPV 16 and HPV 18, that together cause about 70 per cent of all cervical cancers

It is also effective against strains 6 and 11, which account for about 90 per cent of cases of genital warts

Sources: Department of Health, The New England Journal of Medicine, Times database

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