SCHOOLGIRLS in Wiltshire are to be immunised against cervical cancer.

The vaccine, which protects 70 percent of the Human Papilloma viruses that cause the condition, is to be offered to girls aged 12 and up from September.

Older girls will be vaccinated in during a two-year catch up campaign by Wiltshire PCT in a bid to ensure all girls leaving school after 2010 are protected. Public health consultant Elizabeth Lee, said "This vaccine will prevent many women from contracting cervical cancer, saving lives each year. "We need to do more to prevent the disease, not just treat it, which is why we want to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active. The vaccine won't get rid of the virus if it has already caused infection."

There are around 40 types of HPV that can affect the genital area and 13 that are known to cause cervical cancer, which can take between 10 and 20 years to develop."

However the vaccine will not protect against genital warts.

Information is being sent out to parents in the county and consent for the injections will be sought.