Following a major review of over 60 million people, scientists have indicated that the success of the human papillomavirus (HPV) could one day dramatically reduce cervical cancer.
Vaccination against the HPV, which causes most cervical cancers, began over a decade ago.
Subsequently, recent research that revealed that over time, this should translate into a significant fall, and possible eradication of the cancer.
The Lancet review compared HPV rates before vaccination and eight years after, in 14 high-income countries, including the UK.
Figures revealed that cases of HPV 16 and 18 were down 83 per cent in girls aged 15-19 and 66 per cent in women 20-24.
Understandably, rates fell more in countries where a wider age group was vaccinated and where coverage was higher.
Public Health England (PHE), Principal Scientist, Dr David Mesher said: “We are seeing reductions in HPV strains and in cervical disease as well, so there is every suggestion there will be reductions in cervical cancers too.”
Professor Marc Brisson, from Laval University, Canada, who led the review, said: “We will see reductions in women aged 20-30 within the next 10 years.”
He said cervical cancer elimination (which is defined as fewer than four cases per 100,000) “might be possible if sufficiently high vaccination coverage can be achieved and maintained”.
In the UK alone, there has been an uptake of the vaccination in girls by 80 per cent because of high public faith in the programme, which is attributable to PHE introducing it to the public when it was first rolled out.
The high uptake has resulted in high herd immunity, as well as, in cross-protection against other strains, not just the 18 and 16 contained in the initial vaccines.
As a result, both of these outcomes have resulted in better than the predicted reduction in abnormalities and as a nation, we have much greater hope of reducing the disease.
Here at Harrow Health Care Centre, we offer a private HPV vaccination service which is also available to men and boys. It is also of value to those women now over 25 who were above the age group for the vaccination when it was first introduced.
We are encouraging both males and females to have the HPV vaccination, as it is clear from recent findings that the vaccine is highly effective in both genders.
To find out more about Harrow Health Care Centre’s HPV vaccination plan, please visit www.harrowhealthcare.co.uk/our-services/cervical-screening-hpv-testing/
