Jade Goody effect: Herald readers want smear test age reduced

The question was in response to the story about how Jade Goody's death was encouraging women to get checked for cervical cancer.

A massive 98 per cent of people wanted to see smear tests made available to under 25s, with just two per cent of voters happy with the current arrangement.

Following Jade's death, the number of Worthing women getting checked for cervical cancer increased "significantly".

The reality TV star's high-profile battle with the condition, which resulted in her tragic death on Sunday, March 22, has prompted many women to book a smear test.

At St Lawrence Surgery in St Lawrence Avenue, Tarring, nurse manager Julie Clements said the average number of women getting tested on a daily basis had significantly increased.

She said: "There are definitely more women coming in now, not only for their routine checks, but also those who have let their smear test become overdue. It is a marked increase.

"Several women have said it's because they have seen Jade Goody in the news and it has reminded them, so it has definitely had an effect."

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