Zero deaths from cervical cancer in young women, a first

Not one woman between the ages of 20 and 24 in England died from cervical cancer between 2020 and 2024, the first five-year window on record with zero deaths in that age group. A study published in The Lancet credits the HPV vaccine, introduced for school-age girls in England in 2008. Children vaccinated at ages 12 and 13 now have close to zero risk of dying from the disease before 30, according to research led by Professor Peter Sasieni of Queen Mary University of London. Without the program, the team estimates 23 such deaths would have occurred. About 200 lives have been saved so far. "It's incredible to think that a single jab can almost eliminate a particular type of cancer," Sasieni said. The girls vaccinated in 2008 are now in their late 20s. Sasieni called the current findings "the tip of the iceberg." Cancer Research UK, which funded the work, called it a milestone.