Schoolgirls in England aged 12 to 13 will get vaccinated against a virus which causes cervical cancer from September 2008, the British government is to announce Friday.

Each schoolgirl will receive three injections over a course of six months

A DNA-based screening test is more efficient at identifying the human papillomavirus (HPV) than the currently used method, the Pap test. The new test, which won't need a screening test as often, could soon replace the 50-year-old Pap in a matter of years, experts say.

In a new study conducted by McGill University in Montreal, both tests were conducted on more than 10,000 women between 30 and 69-years-old. The DNA test detected 94.6 percent of the abnormal growths that can lead to cervical cancer, while the Pap test found only 55.4 percent of the same growths

The European Commission on Monday approved GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix, a new drug used to treat cervical cancer for all EU countries.

The vaccine, which prevents cancers related to the human papillomavirus, can now be prescribed by doctors in 27 European countries to women and girls aged between 10 and 25 years old.

British pharmaceutical giant Glaxo's chief executive JP Garnier said in a statement, "The decision (by the European Commission) to approve Cervarix for the European Union represents a great step forward for European women

The province of Ontario will begin offering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls in the 8th grade, at no cost, starting this fall. HPV, which is sexually transmitted, causes cervical cancer.

Girls in Ontario will have the option to get the Gardasil vaccine at no cost, but will not be required to do so. Public health nurses will provide the vaccine, which is comprised of a three-shot course of treatment, at schools

Texas state lawmakers shot down Governor Rick Perry's executive order on Wednesday that would have forced all sixth grade school girls in 2008 to be required to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Texas lawmakers rejected his anti-cancer order by sending Perry a bill that would block state officials from having to adhere to the requirement for at least the next four years