HEALTH
NHS plans to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040
Screening and vaccination have lead to a significant reduction in the number of cases of cervical cancer
The NHS has pledged to wipe out cervical cancer in England by 2040, saving the lives of thousands of women.
The disease is on track to be eliminated within two decades, under a drive to boost uptake of both cervical screening and the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Cervical cancer affects 3,200 women each year in the UK, killing 850, most of them in their thirties. Almost all cases are caused by certain types of HPV.
Rates of the disease among women in their twenties have fallen by 87 per cent since the HPV vaccine was introduced by the NHS in 2008. The jab is offered to all schoolchildren in year 8, when they are aged 12 or 13.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS,
