Hampshire County Council urges woman to take up on cervical cancer screening invitations
The local authority is assuring it is still safe to do so during the pandemic
Women are being encouraged to attend routine cervical cancer screenings when called up - even during the pandemic.
Hampshire County Council is urging them to take up on invitations sent by their GPs.
A spokesperson says measures are in place allowing the testing to take place during the pandemic.
During Cervical Cancer Awareness Week (18-24 January) the authority is encouraging women to take up on their invitation when they get it.
It says two women die every day from cervical cancer in England.
It is estimated that cervical screening (for women aged 25 to 64) saves around 5,000 lives each year and yet one in four women in the UK is not attending their test.
Councillor Judith Grajewski, Executive Member for Public Health at the Local Authority, said:
"Measures are in place during the pandemic to make it is safe to attend your regular cervical screening when you receive a letter from the GP. You only have to go once every three to five years depending on your age, and you will automatically be invited when your screening is due. It's a five minute test that could save your life. Simply knowing that cervical cancer is preventable empowers us all to take steps for ourselves or to educate others in how to lower the risk."
The screening is not a test for cancer but can help identify potentially harmful cells which can usually be treated to stop them from developing.
The council says girls aged 11 to 18 can also take up the HPV vaccination which offers protection against most types of cervical cancer.
For more information, visit www.nhs.uk/cervicalscreening