Call for more to attend cervical screening clinics

The government is urging people to attend screenings

Health bosses are urging eligible people in Guernsey to come forward for a free cervical smear test.

Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 can go for their regular free screening appointment when they are invited by their GP.

Regular cervical screening detects HPV - a type of viral infection - which experts say is the main cause of cervical cancer.

The advice comes at the start of Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which begins on Monday.

If HPV is detected the screening sample will then be checked for any changes to the cells in the cervix, health bosses said.

If caught early, these can be treated before they turn into cervical cancer.

Public Health said more islanders attended their appointment last year compared to previous years - a trend they want to see continue.

Diane Mathews, Strategic Lead for Screening, said: “Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, and we now have the tools to make the disease a thing of the past.

"The cervical screening programme, together with our HPV vaccination programme and treatment, helps us move towards our goal of eliminating cervical cancer in the Bailiwick."