CERVICAL cancer screening rates have plunged to the lowest level on record, NHS figures show.
Health chiefs are warning women they should get checked regularly for early signs of the tumours.
GettyCervical cancer affects around 3,000 women a year in the UK and there are more than 800 deaths[/caption]
Nearly one in three eligible women – more than 1.3million – have not taken up their latest offer of the free test.
Screening coverage fell to 68.7 per cent in 2023, compared to 69.9 per cent in 2022 and over 74 per cent in 2014.
It was the lowest figure since current records began in 2013.
All women aged 25 to 64 are offered the screening at least once every five years.
The NHS is hoping to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040.
Screening chief Steve Russell said: “We know that elimination is possible but it relies on millions of people continuing to come forward for screening and vaccinations every year.”
Cervical cancer affects around 3,000 women every year and kills more than 800.
It develops in the cervix, part of the womb, and more than 99 per cent of cases are caused by the sexually transmitted virus HPV.
Big Brother star Jade Goody died of the disease when she was just 27 in 2009.
Martin Hunt, chief of the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “We urge all those who can to go and get tested.
“It can sometimes be difficult for a variety of reasons including work and childcare, anxiety, and misinformation surrounding the test.
“But these tests are vital because they can prevent cancer.”
Nicola Smith, from Cancer Research UK, added: “The cervical screening programme saves thousands of lives every year in the UK.”