Young women now have 'close to zero' risk of cervical cancer death after HPV jab

Young women now have 'close to zero' risk of cervical cancer death after HPV jab 8 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Sophie Hutchinson Health correspondent Getty Images Girls have been offered the HPV vaccine since 2008 Children vaccinated at age 12–13 against HPV (human papillomavirus) have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30, landmark new research reveals. The first study of its kind shows deaths have fallen sharply since school-age girls began being offered it in 2008, and around 200 lives have been saved in England so far thanks to the vaccine. Between 2020 and 2024, no cervical cancer deaths were recorded in women aged 20 to 24 - the first time that had happened over a five-year period. Without vaccination, around 23 deaths would have been expected. "It's incredible to think that a single jab can almost eliminate a particular type of cancer," said Prof Peter Sasieni, the lead researcher at Queen Mary University of London. Overall, cervical cancer is still the 14th most common cancer among females in the UK, with 3,300 people diagnosed every year. It is thought HPV, a virus which is spread through close skin-to-skin contact, causes 99% of those cases. Most HPV infections clear up without any problems, but some cause abnormal cell changes and can lead to cancer years later. The report's authors expect the numbers dying from the disease to continue to fall as more are given a HPV jab and vaccinated people grow older. Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, described the findings as an "incredible milestone" but warned that vaccination rates in England were running below recommended levels. "We know the HPV vaccine is extremely effective at stopping cervical cancer before it starts and for the first time these findings show it is saving lives," said the organisation's chief executive Michelle Mitchell. 'I'm a real advocate for this vaccine' Alexandra Legg left school just before the HPV vaccine was introduced in England. In 2021, just as she was planning her wedding, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer aged 30. "I remember hearing the words and I just couldn't really breathe very well," she says. "I was so upset - everything went through my head, it was so hard." Her treatment involved the removal of lymph nodes in her abdomen, although surgeons were able to preserve a small part of her cervix, giving her a chance of becoming pregnant. Other Alexandra and her three-year-old daughter Ivy, who was born after she had cervical cancer Just a year later, Ivy was born. Her middle name is Marvella - meaning "miracle". "Those nine months were so scary because I was at such risk of losing her at any point," she says. Alexandra says her life could have been far less traumatic if she had been offered the HPV vaccine and urged those eligible to get it. "I'm a real advocate for this vaccine and when Ivy is old enough, she'll be first in the queue," she adds. Reduction in deaths 'tip of the iceberg' Pro