The introduction of HPV vaccines has led to a sharp reduction in the number of young women with the cancer-causing infection in England, new data from Public Health England finds.
Between 2010 and 2016, infections with HPV 16 and 18 fell 86% among women ages 16 to 21 who were eligible for the vaccine during this time period. HPV 16 and 18 are two types of human papillomavirus responsible for most cervical cancer cases.
Overall, the HPV vaccination program, first introduced in 2008, led to a decline in five types of high-risk HPV, which cause almost 90% of cervical cancer cases, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The incidence of less risky strains of HPV also decreased.
“The study shows the positive effects of HPV vaccinations,” said David Mesher, principal STI prevention scientist at PHE, and lead author of the study. “There have been some very positive results from the program.”
The study also found a decline in various kinds of HPV that are not protected against by the vaccine, lending evidence to the idea that the vaccine can prevent other strains of the virus.
“There are lots of different HPV types and some types are closely related. Similar types tend to have some cross-protection,” said Mesher.
The new findings add to the growing body of evidence for the vaccine’s effectiveness.
The study sampled 15,349 women aged 16 to 24 who came in for chlamydia screening across England between 2010 and 2016.
As well as HPV infections, there was also a decline in the number of genital warts diagnoses among both girls and boys aged 15 to 17 between 2009 and 2017.
Genital warts are caused by certain strains of HPV that the vaccine protects against, according to John Doorbar, professor of viral pathogenesis at Cambridge University, who was not involved in the study.