Cervical cancer deaths in England fall to zero in young women given vaccine

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Cervical cancer deaths fall to zero in young women given vaccine13 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSophie HutchinsonHealth correspondentGetty ImagesGirls have been offered the HPV vaccine since 2008Around 200 lives have been saved in England so far thanks to a vaccine which protects against cervical cancer, according to analysis published in the Lancet. The first study of its kind showed that deaths have fallen sharply since school-age girls were offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) jab in 2008. 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. The study also found that those children vaccinated at age 12 or 13 now have close to zero risk of dying from the disease before the age of 30.

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Before the HPV vaccination campaign, around 20 deaths every year were being recorded in that age group. 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.

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"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.

OtherAlexandra and her three-year-old daughter Ivy, who was born after she had cervical cancerJust 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.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.