Medical Matters Case Notes (HPV)(Audio and text)

The latest medical information and advice from Radio 4's health programmes. In Case Notes Dr Mark Porter takes an in-depth look at a different topic each week, speaking to doctors, patients and researchers about the latest treatments. In Check Up Barbara Myers puts callers' questions to one of the country's leading experts on a certain condition to get the best advice for callers.

In this edition of Case Notes, Dr Mark Porter investigates the HPV (human papillomavirus) family of viruses. This month has seen the inclusion into the routine NHS immunisation schedule of the world’s first vaccine against cancer.
As of the start of this school term, every 12 and 13 year old girl will be offered the jab to protect her against infection with two strains of the human papilloma virus, strains 16 and 18, that account for around three quarters of all cases of cancer of the cervix. Discussing the new vaccine and other aspects of HPV with Mark is Dr Anne Szarewski, Clinical Consultant at Cancer Research UK.