24
Jan 2020
HPV vaccine up to 99.8% effective at protecting against cervical cancer-causing viruses
Scientists at King’s College London analysed data obtained from studies relating to 60 million people over a period of eight years to determine the true effectiveness of the vaccination.
The injection, which has been given to teenage girls since 2008 and boys since the start of the current school year, destroys a virus which causes cancer and warts.
Public health experts say they have significant hopes for the ‘near perfect’ immunisation and are confident that it will eradicate cervical cancer completely within eighty years.
Lead researcher, Professor Peter Sasieni, said “Our analysis finds that the near perfect efficacy of HPV vaccination in … trials is realised in real-world settings.
“These results imply that the impact of HPV vaccination on preventing cervical cancer could be even greater than estimated previously.”
The vaccine was created to prevent the spread of HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Types 16 and 18 are responsible for more than 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases in the UK, while types 6 and 11 cause 90 per cent of genital warts cases. The vaccination protects against both.
Robert Music, chief executive of the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust charity, said “To have a cancer that can be eliminated is truly exciting.
“The HPV vaccine and cervical screening programmes provide fantastic weapons against this awful disease and on the horizon are further advancements such as more effective vaccines, potential for epigenetic testing and HPV self-sampling, which will get us even closer to elimination.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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