Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 infections decreased by almost 90% in young women eligible for vaccination in England from 2010 to 2016, according to a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
A new surveillance data analysis found that, overall, declines were seen across five high-risk HPV types, which together cause around nine out of ten cervical cancer cases, as well as low-risk HPV types.
The results suggest that the HPV vaccination programme in England will bring about large reductions in cervical cancer in the future, the authors said.
The analysis was carried out on vaginal swab specimens from women aged 16-24 years attending for chlamydia screening.
Prevalence of HPV16/18 decreased between 2010-2011 and 2016 to 1.6% in 16–18 year olds, and to 1.6% in 19-21 year olds, from 17.6% and 16.9%, respectively, before the HPV vaccination programme was introduced.
In addition, the HPV vaccination programme led to a marked decline in genital wart diagnoses, which fell by 89% in females aged 15 -17 years by 89 per cent, and by 70% in males of the same age, between 2009 and 2017 as a result of herd immunity.
- A 9-valent HPV vaccine (9vHPV), (Gardasil 9) that could prevent around 90% of HPV-related cancers, is in phase 3 clinical trials. Over a 6-year follow-up, 9vHPV showed a 97.4% reduction in the risk of high-grade cervical, vulvar and vaginal disease related to HPV 31,33,45,52 and 58, and was as effective as quatrivalent (qHPV) in providing protection against HPV 6,11,16 and 18.
