For the first time ever, not a single woman in England aged 20 to 24 died from cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024. That's the finding of a new study published in The Lancet, and it's directly linked to the HPV vaccine.

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, looked at national mortality data. It found that the HPV vaccine has cut the risk of dying from cervical cancer before age 30 to almost zero for vaccinated women. The vaccine is estimated to have saved nearly 200 young women from the disease.

"Thanks to HPV vaccination and cervical screening, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is now firmly in sight," said Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It's the most common sexually transmitted infection. Certain strains can cause cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and other cancers later in life. The vaccine was introduced for girls aged 12-13 in England in 2008, and for boys in 2019.

The study also showed an 80 percent reduction in deaths from cervical cancer in the same age group for the four years before that — between 2015 and 2019. Lead author Professor Peter Sasieni said this is the first study to show directly that HPV vaccination reduces cervical cancer deaths.

"We estimate that since its introduction, HPV vaccination has prevented nearly 200 young women from dying from cervical cancer in England. But that's just the tip of the iceberg – as vaccinated generations grow older, we'll see many more lives saved from cervical cancer," Sasieni said.

Children vaccinated at age 12-13, when the vaccine is most effective, now have close to zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before 30. The vaccination rate in the study cohort was close to 90 percent.

But there's a worry. Uptake has dropped in recent years. Currently, about 76 to 86 percent of girls in the UK are vaccinated by age 15. That falls short of the 90 percent target recommended by the World Health Organization.

Mitchell warned that this progress is at risk. "It's essential that the UK government and health systems urgently address this with targeted action to reach communities where uptake is the lowest," she said.

The WHO launched a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer in 2020. Australia was the first country to start a publicly funded school-based HPV vaccination programme for girls in 2007. The new English study provides the strongest national evidence yet that the vaccine saves lives.

  • 0 deaths from cervical cancer in women aged 20-24 in England, 2020-2024
  • 80% reduction in deaths in same age group for 2015-2019
  • Nearly 200 young women's lives saved by HPV vaccine
  • Vaccine introduced for girls in 2008, boys in 2019
  • Current UK vaccination rate: 76-86% of girls by age 15 (below WHO 90% target)