Give sex disease jabs to all girls

Give sex disease jabs to all girls, say doctors (despite opponents believing it lulls teens into having unprotected sex) - Schoolgirls should be routinely given jabs to protect against the most common sexually-transmitted infections, leading doctors say.

They are calling for all 12 and 13-year-olds to be vaccinated against genital warts, which infects around 200,000 people a year.

But many parents and campaigners believe such vaccines lull teenagers into a false sense of security – so they think they can have regular, unprotected sex without any serious health consequences.

Jab: Doctors say the two-in-one jab Gardasil, which protects against both genital warts and cervical cancer, would save the NHS £35million a year in treatment costs and cut waiting times at clinics

The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV, which represents doctors who treat those with STIs, says schoolgirls should be vaccinated against genital warts when they are given cervical cancer jabs.

They say a two-in-one jab called Gardasil, which protects against both, would save the NHS £35million a year in treatment costs and cut waiting times at clinics.

Genital warts has overtaken chlamydia as the most common STI, with rates highest among women aged 16-19 and men aged 20-24.

When the cervical cancer jab was first offered to all 12 and 13-year-old girls in 2008, a Department of Health study found many teenagers admitted it would encourage them to have more sex. ( dailymail.co.uk )