A new study has found that high uptake of school-based immunisation against human papillomavirus (HPV) can also protect unvaccinated women against pre-cancerous cells, suggesting strong herd effects. The research, published in The Lancet Public Health, analysed Swedish health registry data from 857,168 unvaccinated women born between 1985 and 2000.
Women born between 1999 and 2000, who were eligible for school-based vaccination but did not receive the jab, had around half the risk of developing high-grade cervical lesions compared to those born between 1985 and 1988, who were in an opportunistic vaccination group. These lesions are severely abnormal cells caused by chronic HPV infection and can develop into cervical cancer if untreated.
Researchers concluded that high HPV vaccination coverage substantially reduces the incidence of these lesions in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations through direct and herd effects. They said the findings support expanding school-based programmes as a cost-effective public health strategy to lower cervical cancer risk across entire populations.
In England, the HPV vaccine is offered to teenagers in Year 8, aged 12 to 13. The NHS aims to boost uptake among girls to 90 per cent as part of plans to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Recent data shows 76.7 per cent of girls and 71.2 per cent of boys aged 14 to 15 were vaccinated in the 2023/24 academic year.
