Cervical Cancer Awareness

January 2025 marks cervical cancer awareness month. Across the week of prevention (20th - 26th Jan) we will be posting on our social media channels about the importance of cervical screening, HPV vaccination and spotting the symptoms of cervical cancer.

Central to this year’s campaign at the practice is the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer and is available for those with birth genders of male or female.

HPV

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus. It usually doesn’t cause any problems. For most people, HPV will be cleared from the body and you will never know you’ve had it.

Some types of HPV can cause problems such as genital warts and high risk types of HPV increases the risk of some cancers.

Most types of HPV are harmless. Some types are linked to an increased risk of cancer, including:

• Cervical cancer

• Mouth cancer

• Anal cancer

• Penile cancer

• Vulval cancer

• Vaginal cancer

School children aged 12 to 13 (Year 8) are routinely offered the HPV vaccine. If you missed getting vaccinated in school, the HPV vaccine is available for free on the NHS. Eligibility for the HPV vaccine include; birth gendered females aged under 25 and males born after 1st September 2006.

Who should get the HPV vaccine?	Where can you get it?
Children aged 12-13 (school year 8)	School vaccination team
Birth gendered females aged under 25 and males born after 1 September 2006 who missed having the vaccine at school	School vaccination team/GP surgery
Birth gendered males aged under 45 who have sex with men	Sexual health clinic/HIV clinic
Trans men/women (younger than 45)	Sexual health clinic/HIV clinic
People at higher risk of HPV, (ex. HIV patients, sex workers)	Sexual health clinic/HIV clinic

Please contact SMG to book your HPV vaccine and cervical screening. We are here for you.

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Resources:

Cancer Research UK

nhs.uk