Deaths from cervical cancer among young women under 25 in the U.S. have dropped by 62% in the last decade.
Researchers attribute this dramatic decline to the widespread adoption of the Gardasil HPV vaccine, which was approved in the U.S. in 2006.
National health data shows that the first cohorts of girls who were able to receive the HPV vaccine as young girls (around age 10) were far less likely to die from cervical cancer before age 25.
Between 1992-1994, there were 55 young cervical cancer deaths per 100,000 people. This dropped to 13 deaths per 100,000 between 2019-2021.
The article highlights the importance of maintaining and improving HPV vaccination coverage, which reached 78.5% among young girls in the U.S. in 2021 but has shown signs of slipping since.
Countries like Australia, with HPV vaccination rates approaching 86% in girls, are projected to effectively eliminate cervical cancer by 2028 thanks to the vaccine.
The HPV vaccine has proven highly effective at preventing not just cervical cancer, but also other HPV-related cancers in both women and men.
Source: ScienceAlert
