'Jade Goody' effect fading in Sussex (From The Argus)

'Jade Goody' effect fading in Sussex

8:10am Sunday 24th October 2010 in News By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter

The “Jade Goody effect” which led to more women coming forward for a smear test appears to have faded.

The reality TV star's public battle against cervical cancer led to a sharp rise in women across Sussex being screened.

However new figures show 95,400 women aged between 25 and 64 across the county had a test between April 2009 and the end of March this year.

This is a drop of more than 7,000 compared to the year before, when 27-year-old Jade's fight against the disease dominated the news.

Jade was diagnosed towards the end of 2008 and her progress was monitored closely until her eventual death the following March.

Her plight led to scores of people across the county asking for tests.

Brighton and Hove screened 19,100 women in 2009/10 compared to 20,000 the year before.

In East Sussex there were 30,200 screenings compared to 30,600 in 2008.

West Sussex carried out 46,111 tests, a drop from the 52,300 the previous year.

Katie Brickell, 27, who was diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer in March 2006, said she was disappointed at the fall.

Mrs Brickell, of Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, had previously been refused a smear test because she was too young.

She went through months of treatment including a hysterectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She has responded well to treatment and is now back at work.