CERVICAL cancer rates in Manchester are ‘shocking’, according to public health specialists in the city. The latest statistics reveal cervical cancer is twice as prevalent in Manchester as the national average.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust is urging women to attend screenings that can help prevent the disease. The new campaign, titled ‘You wouldn’t miss...’ demonstrates that attending screening is just as important as collecting the kids from school or a going to a job interview. It is aimed at women between 25 and 34 years of age.

"The problem we face is that a lot of women see a screening as being just about detecting cervical cancer, but it is actually a preventative measure."

Paul Nethercott, Senior Public Health Development Adviser, is leading the campaign. He said: “The problem we face is that a lot of women see a screening as being just about detecting cervical cancer, but it is actually a preventative measure.

"The higher rate of cervical cancer in Manchester can be directly attributed to the low uptake of screening and we hope that this campaign will go some way to addressing that. Screening saves lives, so when women receive an invitation I would urge them to keep the appointment and get checked out."

Since the introduction of the national cervical  cancer screening programme in 1988, the number of women aged between 25 and 64 who are diagnosed with cervical cancer has almost halved - from 16 women in every 100,000 women between 1986 and 1988 to 8.5 women in every 100,000 women from 2006 to 2008.

However, in Manchester, the rate for 2008 was 19.2 women in every 100,000, which is more than double the national average. 

The posters and accompanying postcards are available directly from the Manchester Public Health Development Service and are being distributed to healthcare facilities, libraries, community centres and other venues across Manchester. 

If you have received an invitation to attend a cervical screening but have not attended then please contact your GP or Practice Nurse to rearrange the appointment.