At least 20% of young women have cancer-causing virus

An alarming new report has revealed that at least 20 per cent of UK women between the ages of 10 and 29 have been infected with the sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which can cause everything from genital warts to cervical, anal, mouth and skin cancers.

The Health Protection Agency, which conducted the survey, discovered that one in 10 15-year-old girls were infected with one or more strain of HPV, of which there are more than 100 types.

"Results suggest that there is already a substantial risk of HPV infection in girls in England by the age of 14," confirms Dr Kate Soldan, one of the authors of the report. "From the age of 14 onwards, the prevalence increased sharply until the early 20s, and then stabilised or declined."

The Department of Health recently backed controversial plans to immunise girls of 12 and 13 against high-risk strains 16 and 18 of the disease, which have been found to be present in 78 per cent of cervical cancer and pre-cancer cases. There is no screening programme for the virus.

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