More than seven in ten girls in year 8 in Brighton and Hove received a potentially life-saving jab in the 2023-24 academic year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
The take up rate for the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine of 71.4 per cent was an increase from 69.4 per cent in the school year before.
But it remains well below the 83.6 per cent in 2018-19 before the coronavirus pandemic severely affected the vaccine programme in schools.
The NHS said: “As a result of people receiving the vaccine, there has been a drop in the number of people getting cervical cancer and other conditions linked to HPV.
“It also protects men and women against genital warts and other cancers of the genital areas and anus as well as some mouth and throat (head and neck) cancers.
“The HPV virus is very common and, left unvaccinated, someone has a 70 per cent of being infected with it.”
The UK Health Security Agency also said that across England there was a slight improvement in HPV vaccine coverage among year 8 girls.
Uptake increased from 71.3 per cent in 2022-23 to 72.9 per cent last year although it remained well below the 88 per cent uptake rate in 2018-19.
The NHS added: “The HPV vaccine has been offered to all girls in school year 8 since September 2008 and to boys in the same year group since September 2019.
“This is because the evidence is clear that the HPV vaccine helps protect both boys and girls from HPV-related cancers.
“If missed in school, the vaccine is available for free on the NHS until age 25. Parents and young people can speak with their school nurse, school vaccination team or GP surgery about how to get the vaccine.”
The NHS also encouraged women to attend cervical screening – also known as going for a smear test – to have the best chance of any early changes being detected to try to prevent cancer from developing.
The figures also showed that 63.5 per cent of year 8 boys in Brighton and Hove received the vaccine in the past academic year – an increase from 59.6 per cent in 2022-23.
Similarly, national uptake among the 12 and 13-year-olds reached 67.7 per cent in 2023-24, an improvement from 65.2 per cent the year before.
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said that about 3,300 people a year have cervical cancer diagnosed in Britain.
She said: “Thanks to the power of research and efforts of NHS staff, we can eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in our lifetime.
“The HPV vaccine combined with cervical screening can help to bring about a future virtually free from the disease.
“The science is clear – HPV vaccination is safe and effective and I encourage all eligible people to take up these life-saving offers.”
If they told people it was an ordinary well-tested vaccine and not an experimental one the uptake might be better.