The number of cervical cancers has fallen in British women who have received a vaccine against the HPV infection that causes these cancers. According to a recently published study.
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The vaccine against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, reduces the number of cervical cancers by nearly 90 percent, according to a study published in The Lancet. “Our study provides direct evidence of the effect of vaccination against human papillomavirus, via the bivalent Cervarix vaccine, on the incidence of cervical cancer,” the study authors said.
Cervical cancer is almost always caused by the sexually transmitted HPV infection. The researchers said the success meant those who were vaccinated would also need far fewer cervical smears.
According to the findings of the study, there has been a marked decline in the number of cervical cancers in women eligible for the UK vaccination campaign, which started in the late 2000s. This reduction is most visible in women who have been vaccinated at the age of 12 or 13.
• Cervical cancer is becoming very rare in Australia
However, there are limitations associated with the study. Because even without vaccination, there is only a limited number of cervical cancers in women younger than 25, who were the subject of the study. The frequency in that age group will therefore have to be further studied in the coming years.
Many countries, including Belgium, have already started a campaign to encourage people to be vaccinated against this. The Flemish government offers the vaccine against HPV free of charge to all girls and boys in the first year of secondary education.
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