THe issue is that screening is as effective a tool against cervical cancer as the vaccine is being made out to be.
unfortunately, unlike the vaccine, screening is not being pushed at everyone, form a young age.
it is being pushed back and back, and there are many people who underplay the importance of it as part of the prevention of cervical cancers. how many times have we heard someone say "oh, my smear is overdue?"
how many teenage girls do you know that would happily go along for smears? I certainly know from my teenage years that the majority do not (back in my day it was from age 20, or within 2 years of becoming sexually active, whichever was sooner; and repeated every 2 years. it is nothing like that now) the surgery at my university had a hard enough time convincing young women to go along when it was the recommended regime. I hardly think that there will be many teenagers today who push for smears, following a jab which they will probably (judging form how badly the information is being absorbed at the moment) think is a total prevention.
it is shocking that a method thought ot be as effective as the vaccine, and with many more years behind it to back it up, is being overlooked and pushed back, when it should, if the aim of the health dept is really ot dramatically reduce numbers, being pushed equally aggressively - that would indeed be a regime worth aiming for.
but instead, the dept of health is pushing a vaccine (effectively putting it out for mass trial), and hoping that the following years prove that it is both as effective as they hope (recent track record with vaccines does not make this likely) and as safe as they hope (ditto).