A new study has found that the HPV vaccine has dramatically reduced cervical cancer deaths among young women in England, bringing the risk of dying from the disease before the age of 30 to almost zero.
The research, published on Thursday in The Lancet medical journal, revealed that no women aged between 20 and 24 died from cervical cancer in England between 2020 and 2024. It marks the first time that zero deaths have been recorded in the age group.
Researchers estimate that the vaccination programme has already saved the lives of nearly 200 young women. The study also found an 80 percent reduction in cervical cancer deaths among women aged 20 to 24 between 2015 and 2019 compared to earlier years.
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, described the findings as a major milestone in the fight against the disease.
“Thanks to HPV vaccination and cervical screening, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is now firmly in sight,” she said.
The study was conducted by researchers from Queen Mary University of London and examined national mortality data following the introduction of the HPV vaccine for children aged 12 and 13.
