Teenage girls in Stockport have some of the best cervical cancer vaccination rates in the country.

New figures show the Stockport district school nursing team gave 96% of local girls aged 12 to 13 the human papilloma vaccine (HPV), which helps prevent the cancer. This was 1451 girls over the last 12 months – achieving the fourth highest rate in England.

Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by the HPV infection, which can cause cancer without any symptoms. Vaccination is therefore a highly effective way of preventing the cancer.

The school nursing team were also among the highest in the country for immunising against meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria and polio. They work with local schools in obtaining consent from parents and keeping them informed, as well as offering alternatives if a child is unable to attend the vaccination sessions.

Alison Lynch Chief Nurse and Director of Quality Governance at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which the school nurse team is part of, said, “Cervical cancer is one of the most deadly but most preventable forms of cancer in women. It is also the most common cancer in women under 35, so these results are helping to save young lives, which is excellent.  I want to thank the hard work and dedication of our school nursing team.”