Kilkenny has been identified as one of six counties with the lowest uptake of cervical screening in the country.
But Carlow is ahead of the national average.
As part of Cervical Cancer prevention week local women are being encouraged to attend their free appointment for Cervical screening when they receive it.
The most recent uptake statistics from Cervical Check shows that the national average for the 5 years up to March 2020 was 78.5 percent – that’s just below the target coverage of 80 percent.
Kilkenny falls well below that at just 69.7 percent – one of the lowest uptakes in the country.
However Carlow is well ahead with more than 87 percent of women in the county attending for their appointments.
Cervical Check says that while Ireland compares favourably with international statistics they would still like to see more accessing the benefits of regular screening, and acting to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer.