Benefits of the human papillomavirus vaccine extend beyond those who receive the shots, a new study found, creating a herd immunity that could eliminate cervical cancer.
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is sexually transmitted and is named for the warts (papillomas) some HPV types can cause, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
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The CDC says about 14 million people — male and female — are infected with HPV each year, and most never know it. About 12,000 women are diagnosed with and about 4,000 women die from cervical cancer caused by certain HPV viruses. HPV viruses are also associated with several other forms of cancer affecting men and women.
The newest study, published Wednesday in The Lancet, reviewed "65 articles in 14 high-income countries: 23 for HPV infection, 29 for anogenital warts, and 13 for CIN2+" to compare "the frequency (prevalence or incidence) of HPV-related endpoints between the pre-vaccination and post-vaccination periods."
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The Lancet review and meta-analysis found:
- Cases of HPV types 16 and 18 were down 83% in girls ages 15-19 and 66% in women 20-24
- Genital warts cases fell 67% in girls 15-19 and 54% in women 20-24
- Precancerous growths were down by 51% in girls 15-19 and 31% in women 20-24
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It also showed cases of genital warts in men ages 15-19 fell by almost 50% and significantly in women over 30, confirming that people who were not vaccinated benefited from the vaccine.
"The impact of the HPV vaccination has actually exceeded expectations," Lauri Markowitz, associate director of science for HPV at the CDC who worked on the study, told NBC News. "The trials showed that HPV vaccines are very effective, and data from the real world has confirmed that."
According to the study’s lead author, Mélanie Drolet, an epidemiologist at Laval University in Canada, lower HPV infections and fewer precancerous cells “are a first sign that vaccination could eventually lead to the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.”
Cancer prevention is the “main goal of the HPV vaccination program," Markowitz told NBC. "We’re seeing an impact on one of the HPV outcomes that is close to a cancer outcome.”
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