CervicalCheck Louth participation is being encouraged by Cllr Michelle Hall, particularly among women over 50 who are eligible for screening.
Cllr Hall is also reminding families about the HPV vaccination programme for eligible secondary school students.
The call follows the publication of the latest CervicalCheck Programme Report, which shows that 379,732 women underwent cervical screening between April 2023 and December 2024.
Most screening tests were carried out in GP practices, with 90.2% taken in primary care settings, 8.3% in colposcopy clinics and 1.5% in secondary care services including gynaecology, gynae-oncology and sexual health clinics.
The HSE says five-year screening coverage nationally stood at 75.8% at the end of 2024, with participation highest among younger women and lowest among those aged over 50.
Cllr Hall said:
“Early detection and timely treatment of cervical cancer can save lives. As Ireland works towards the goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040, Cervical Check continues to focus on increasing participation, improving equity in screening and delivering a high-quality, trusted screening programme for women across the country and I hope even more women in Co. Louth will participate in the programme for early detection or even peace of mind that they don’t have abnormal cells.”
How CervicalCheck works
Cervical screening samples are first tested for HPV.
If HPV is not found, women return to routine screening. If HPV is detected, the same sample is checked for abnormal cell changes to determine whether any further investigation is required.
The latest report found that 11.9% of women screened tested positive for HPV.
A total of 8,749 women were diagnosed and treated for high-grade abnormal cell changes, while 208 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The HSE says cervical screening is intended to identify HPV and abnormal cell changes before they develop into cancer, as well as helping detect cervical cancer at an earlier stage.
HPV vaccination
Cllr Hall is also encouraging eligible young people to avail of the HPV vaccination programme.
The HSE offers the HPV vaccine free to boys and girls in first year of secondary school as part of its School Vaccination Programme.
A catch-up programme is also currently available for eligible students in second, third, fourth and fifth year who missed their HPV vaccination in first year.
The HPV vaccine protects against nine types of HPV, including strains linked to cervical and several other cancers. However, the HSE says vaccination does not replace cervical screening later in life.
Women and people with a cervix who are eligible should continue to attend CervicalCheck appointments when invited, even if they have received the HPV vaccine.
