Vaccination against HPV (human papillomavirus) protects up to 87 percent against cervical cancer, according to a long-term British study published in the scientific journal The Lancet popped up.
It is the first full study into the effectiveness of the vaccine, which has been given to girls in the United Kingdom since 2008 and to Dutch girls since 2009. It often takes years for the virus to cause cervical cancer.
The effectiveness of the vaccine is greatest when girls get the shot at a younger age. Among the group of women who were vaccinated at age 12 or 13, the researchers saw 87 percent fewer cases of cervical cancer than among unvaccinated women of the same age.
Among the women who received the shot at age 14 to 16, that percentage is 62 percent, and the 17- to 18-year-old age group it is 34 percent.
The researchers estimate that the vaccine has prevented around 450 cases of cervical cancer in the UK by June 2019. In addition, 17,200 fewer precancerous cases were identified.
HPV is sexually transmitted and highly contagious; no sexually transmitted disease is as common as HPV infections.
Rare disease
Lead researcher Sasieni calls the results “amazing”. “We’ve known for some time that the HPV vaccine is very effective at preventing certain types of the virus, but to see the impact in real life is really rewarding,” he said in a statement. The Guardian. Sasieni hopes that cervical cancer will become a rare disease in the future.
Certain types of the virus carry a high risk of developing cervical cancer. The vaccine can only prevent infection from the virus, and cannot break down the virus if someone is already infected.
In the United Kingdom, girls were vaccinated with the Cervarix vaccine until 2012, after which they switched to the Gardasil vaccine. The Netherlands uses both vaccines in the vaccination program.
Hope for a higher vaccination rate in the Netherlands
“Very good news,” said a spokesperson for the KWF Kankerbestrijding about the investigation. “We hope that the vaccination rate in the Netherlands will now become much higher.”
In the Netherlands, girls receive an invitation for the vaccine in the year they turn 13. About 60 percent of girls are vaccinated. Because spread mainly occurs through sexual contact, boys will also receive a call for the vaccine from next year. HPV may also play a role in other types of cancer, such as cancer of the mouth and pharynx.
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