Public Health England (PHE) has revealed that in 2012/13 the vaccination programme against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has had wide coverage and success.
Of the target age group in England (12- to 13-year-old girls), 86% have been receiving the full course. Prior to this immunisation programme, HPV infections (specifically types 16 and 18 which are known to be a key cause of cervical cancers) were common in around one in five sexually active women aged between 16 and 18 years old. This dropped to one in 15 following its introduction.
HPV 16 and 18 prevalence was lowest among 16–18 year-olds and this was the age group had the highest vaccination coverage (65 per cent). This is a reversal of the age trend seen in a 2008 sample, where the youngest girls had the highest prevalence of HPV 16 and 18.
Dr.Kate Soldan, head of PHE’s HPV surveillance, said: “These data show that as expected the HPV immunisation programme in England is reducing HPV 16 and 18, and doing so very substantially. We observed a clear correlation between immunisation coverage and reduced type 16 and 18 HPV infections. This adds to our confidence that the programme will achieve its aim of reducing cervical cancer. This may be of interest to countries that have yet to implement a programme of their own.”
The benefits delivered by the immunisation programme are in addition to the considerable benefits provided to women by the national Cervical Cancer Screening Programme. Cervical screening remains important for women to reduce their risk of cervical cancer as vaccination does not protect against all cancer-causing HPV types.
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