PARENTS of girls aged 12 and 13 will soon be asked to give consent for their daughters to be given revolutionary new anti-cancer jabs.

Letters are due to be sent out by Health to the parents of year 8 girls within two weeks. As well as consent forms, the letters will include key information about the immunisation programme. Mums and dads will also be invited into schools to attend presentations on the programme.

Girls in year 8 will be the first Islanders to take part in the new immunisation programme, which protects against 70 per cent of the viruses that cause cervical cancer. Each girl will have three injections over a six-month period. The first wave of injections is due to begin in November.

It is expected that the immunisations will halve the number of deaths from cervical cancer. Health announced earlier this year that they hoped to immunise more than 90 per cent of girls in year 8. A similar HPV immunisation programme started last week in the UK. Dr Linda Diggle, the immunisation nurse specialist at Health (pictured), said that she expected a very positive response from parents.