Official statistics revealed the positive response of girls to immunisation scheme which aims at protecting them against types 16 and 18 of the human papillomavirus responsible for 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

Statistics showed that 93.2 per cent of the 10,348 Lothian girls eligible for the immunization programme have received their first dose, while 89.1 per cent have had their second since the programme's launch last September. Immunization for the cervical cancer is presently offered to all girls in the second year of secondary school.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: "These results are a testament to the hard work of health boards, particularly frontline nursing staff."

She added: "Best of all, today's figures show girls are well on the way to being immunised against the virus that causes nearly three-quarters of cervical cancers, a cruel disease that still robs us of around one hundred women in Scotland ever year."

Elspeth Atkinson, Macmillan Cancer Support's director for Scotland said: "Of course, this vaccination programme has only recently been introduced, so it remains vital that women between the ages of 20 and 60 in Scotland continue to attend for cervical cancer screening every three years."