England Records 0 Cervical Cancer Deaths at Ages 20-24 After HPV Vaccination

3 articles · Updated · New Scientist · Jun 24

Zero women aged 20 to 24 in England died from cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024, the first five-year stretch with no deaths recorded in that age group.
Around 23 deaths would have been expected based on historical rates, and researchers said the drop was almost certainly driven by HPV vaccination after about 90% of that cohort got the shot at ages 12 or 13.
The Lancet study is the first direct evidence that HPV vaccination prevents cervical-cancer deaths, not just infections and cancer cases that might otherwise have been caught by screening.
Researchers estimated about 200 lives have already been saved in England, with women aged 25 to 29 also seeing fewer deaths than expected and long-term prevention potentially reaching 18,000 deaths.
Uptake has fallen sharply since Covid even as global vaccination remains low and cervical cancer rates keep rising, complicating the NHS goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040.

Sources

New Scientist2d ago

HPV Vaccine Leads to Zero Cervical Cancer Deaths in England's Young Women

health.yahoo.com2d ago

Risk of death from cervical cancer is now almost zero with HPV vaccine

BBC.com2d ago

HPV vaccine means young women now have 'close to zero' risk of cervical cancer death

8 Sources

England has erased youth cervical cancer deaths, so why is the vaccine's uptake now faltering?

As a preventable cancer is eliminated in England, what is the roadmap for the rest of the world?

Zero Cervical Cancer Deaths in England’s Young Women (2020–2024): Lessons from the HPV Vaccine Success Story

Overview

England has achieved a historic milestone with zero cervical cancer deaths among women aged 20 to 24 from 2020 to 2024, following an earlier 80% reduction in deaths in this group. This success is directly linked to the widespread implementation and high uptake—about 90%—of the HPV vaccination program. As more young people receive the vaccine and the vaccinated population ages, experts expect cervical cancer deaths to keep declining. The HPV vaccine’s proven ability to prevent cervical cancer highlights the power of preventative medicine and shows how high vaccination rates can lead to disease elimination.

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