Researchers said on Wednesday a vaccination against HPV is having a major impact on stopping infections and should significantly reduce cases of the disease within a decade.
ADVERTISEMENTA vaccine against HPV, the virus that causes almost all cervical cancer, is having a major impact on stopping the infection and should drastically reduce cases of the disease within 10 years, scientists sad.
A study published in the Lancet review conducted by scientists from the UK and Canada gathered data on 60 million people over eight years. It revealed “strong evidence” that vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) works “to prevent cervical cancer in real-world settings”.
The vaccines are usually offered to girls before they become sexually active to protect against cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine was first licensed in 2007 and have since then been adopted in at least 100 countries worldwide.
The study revealed the two HPV types that cause 70% of cervical cancers - known as HPV 16 and HPV 18 - were significantly reduced after vaccination, with an 83% decline in infections in girls aged 13 to 19 and 66% drop in women aged 20 to 24 after five to eight years of vaccination.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women around the world, according to figures released by the World Health Organization in February. It estimates 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in the world in 2018.
More than 310,000 women die from cervical cancer every year.
The majority of women who die from cervical cancer are in poorer countries where the HPV vaccine is low or non-existent.