Cervical screening key messages
•
Almost all cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV vaccine gives highly effective protection against this virus.
•
The National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) programme provides cervical screening every three years to those with a cervix aged 25-69 years. It aims to reduce death and disease from cervical cancer by early detection and treatment of pre-cancerous cell changes.
•
The NCSP’s target is to screen 80 percent of eligible people every three years. Cervical cancer incidence has halved since the NCSP began in 1990 and deaths are down by 60 per cent.
•
You should participate in cervical screening if: you are a woman or trans or non-binary person with a cervix, are aged between 25 and 69, have ever been sexually active. This includes people who have been immunised against HPV, are single, only have sex with women, have a disability, have been through menopause, or are no longer having sex.
•
Women (and people with a cervix) who have been immunised still need regular cervical screening. The vaccine protects against the nine most common types of HPV but doesn’t protect against them all, so it’s important to have cervical screening even if you have had the HPV vaccine.