🌅 HPV Vaccine Eliminates Cervical Cancer Deaths Before 30

SOURCE

Sasieni & Falcaro (2026)

WHAT TO KNOW

• A landmark study of women in England found those vaccinated against HPV in early adolescence have virtually no risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London found zero women between the ages of 20-24 died from cervical cancer in England from 2020-2024 after receiving an HPV vaccine between the ages of 12-18. The researchers estimate the HPV vaccine has prevented 200 young women from dying of cervical cancer in England, describing the figure as only the “tip of the iceberg,” as the true number could actually be closer to 18,000 deaths prevented so far.

WHY IT MATTERS

• HPV is a common virus that can infect the skin and cells lining the inside of the body. Most people will have HPV at some point in their life—typically transmitted through sexual activity—and the infection is usually cleared from the body on its own. However, several high-risk strains are known to cause cancer, and scientists today know that virtually all cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV. Experts say even vaccine skeptics should be reassured by the research: the HPV vaccine has now been given to hundreds of millions of people worldwide and it comes with one of the strongest evidence bases of any modern vaccine. The vaccine is known to reduce HPV infections, prevent precancerous lesions, and, thanks to the present study, can reduce cervical cancer deaths to zero.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• The World Health Organization’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer sets a target of 90% of girls receiving an HPV vaccine by age 15. However, since the pandemic, vaccination rates have fallen significantly, including in the U.S. and the U.K. Over the coming years, researchers expect to see thousands of cervical cancer deaths prevented in women born between 1995 to 2004, when vaccine uptake was near the WHO’s target level. Deaths are expected to climb dramatically among young women born after that period, simply because too few received an HPV vaccine.