Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

Story Highlight

This week is Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, with the aim of raising awareness of the illness and how it can be stopped before it starts

More than 2,800 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK, with nearly 1,000 womendying from it... Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged 35 and under, after Breast cancer.

Jennifer Muldoon from Blyth was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2008 and tells our reporter Beatrice Pickup she's eally glad she went for a smear test when she did:

Despite the figures the charity Jo's Trust is warning that many women don't go to their appointments because they're too embarrassed, think it's not important or they just don't have the time to go.

Director, Rob Music explains:

Cervical cancer, in 99.7% of cases, is caused by persistent infection with a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV) - Up to 80% of people of reproductive age will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives but for the majority of women it won't result in cervical cancer.