[ad_1]
If you want to see the power of vaccines, look no further than the human papillomavirus (HPV). A new study has shown that the spread of HPV vaccination in Scotland has led to a drop in cervical disease rates, which can lead to cancer.
In 2008, the UK introduced a national vaccination program where all girls aged 12 to 13 years were immunized against two of the most problematic strains of human papillomavirus, HPV 16 and HPV 18 , which are: known to cause cancer in women and men.
The success of the vaccination program is already remarkable. As reported in British Medical Journal, the number of women with the most severe form of precancerous cells in their cervix has decreased by 89% in just over a decade.
According to researchers, the HPV vaccine directly resulted in a "dramatic reduction" in cervical disease. The study did not examine how this would translate into cervical cancer rates. The researchers believe however that "this should significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer".
A team of researchers from several Scottish universities analyzed the medical records of 138,692 women in Scotland. They achieved their results by comparing pre-cancerous cervical cell levels, known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, between unvaccinated women born in 1988 and vaccinated women born in 1995 and 1996.
It is interesting to note that the study also showed that even unvaccinated women reaped the benefits and reported a significant decrease in the level of disease. This is an effect called herd protection collective immunity, where unvaccinated persons are effectively protected against a contagious disease if a large part of the population is vaccinated. The disease can not spread quickly enough because it meets too many vaccinated people and is blocked.
There are over 100 different types of HPV and it's incredibly common. According to US CDC, 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. They also say that "almost every sexually active person will get HPV at some point in their lives if they do not get the HPV vaccine." Most strains are relatively harmless and cause mild (if not irritating) symptoms such as warts. Nevertheless, at least 14 types of HPV are known to cause cancer. HPV 16 and 18 are estimated to be responsible for 70% of cervical cancers, the fourth most common cancer in women.
This is just one of the many successes of HPV vaccination around the world. Australia is on the right track to become the first country in the world to eradicate cervical cancer through its comprehensive program of vaccines. Further, computer modeling suggests that cancer will be totally eradicated in 149 countries out of 181 by 2100 if current progress continues.
[ad_2]
Source link