Schools Denying Cervical Cancer Vaccine On Religious Grounds

Schoolgirls are being denied a potentially life-saving cervical cancer jab at their schools on religious grounds.

The jab guards against two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus – 16 and 18 – which cause 70% of cases of cervical cancer. It is offered routinely to girls aged 12 to 13.

An investigation by GP magazine found that 24 schools within 83 of England’s 152 primary care trusts (PCT) have opted out of the HPV vaccination programme because their pupils are expected to follow strict Christian principles and to not have sex outside marriage.

The magazine found the majority of schools opting out did not tell their local GPs, where the girls could be offered the vaccine outside of school.

Just two of the 15 PCTs where schools are denying the vaccination told GPs of their decision.

And only five of the 15 PCTs said they informed pupils or guardians how to obtain the vaccine elsewhere.

Some of the reasons the schools gave for denying the jab included "not in keeping with the school ethos", "pupils follow strict Christian principles, marry within their own community and do not practise sex outside marriage" and "the school does not want parents/students to feel pressured by peers or the school setting".

As 1,000 woman in the UK die every year from cervical cancer, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said GPs needed to be informed about which pupils were being denied vaccines at school to help cut cervical cancer deaths.

Dr Richard Vautrey, the deputy chairman of the British Medical Association's general practitioners committee, said: "It is a concern that so many areas are reporting that schools have refused to allow their children to receive HPV vaccine on the premises.

"This is placing their children at risk in later life and should be challenged. It is also a concern if PCTs are not informing practices about HPV uptake. Once the responsibility for this activity has been transferred from PCTs to public health departments based in local authorities next year there should no longer be any excuse for failing to protect children in this way."

(H/GK)