Don’t ignore five-minute cervical check

WOMEN will be urged not to put their lives at risk by ignoring a simple fiveminute test as the NHS launches its first cervical cancer campaign.

The nationwide awareness drive comes with screening levels for the disease at their worst for 20 years.

Almost a third of those aged 25 to 49 have missed their latest smear test and at some doctors’ surgeries the figure is as high as three-quarters.

The decline has been attributed to fear and embarrassment as well as a lack of convenient GP appointments.

The campaign, which launches today, centres on a 30-second TV advert with a stark warning that the disease is claiming the lives of two women every day.

Professor Anne Mackie, of Public Health England, said: ‘The decline in numbers getting screened for cervical cancer is a major concern. This is a simple test which takes five minutes and could save your life. It’s just not worth ignoring.’