Just saw this news from England about HPV vaccine and honestly,it’s one of those rare stories that genuinely makes you feel hopeful.
It's about this groundbreaking study that basically confirms the vaccine is working wonders against cervical cancer. A professor,Peter Sasieni from Queen Mary University of London,said that girls who get the vaccine at age 12 to 13 are now almost entirely protected from dying of cervical cancer before they turn 30 . That’s huge ah.
And the numbers are just incredible. Since vaccine program started in 2008,they think around 200 lives have been saved . But this is the part that really got me: for first time ever,between 2020 and 2024,there were zero cervical cancer deaths in women aged 20 to 24. Zero . Without the vaccine,they were expecting about 23 deaths in that group .
This is just amazing progress when you remember that HPV virus is responsible for 99% of these cancers.
But even with such amazing news,there's a worrying side . Cancer Research UK is raising alarm because vaccination rates are still too low. Michelle Mitchell,the chief executive,is saying that vaccine is proven to work,so we need to make sure more young people get it .
Few things standing out clearly from this report:
- Around 200 lives saved because of HPV vaccination since 2008.
- No deaths at all in women aged 20-24 between 2020 and 2024 .
- Vaccination rates are still problem,only 76% of girls getting it by age 15.
And then you read personal stories like Alexandra Legg’s . She was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 30,and she talks about how things might have been different for her if she had been vaccinated. Her daughter is named Ivy,and she says Ivy is hope for future. It really puts a human face on these statistics .
It's strange feeling,you know. On one hand,this incredible scientific victory that is literally saving lives. You can see the future where this cancer is completely preventable for next generation.
At same time,the frustration that not everyone is getting this protection. It's right there,it's available,and yet numbers are not what they should be .
It just makes you wonder… with proof this clear,why are so many people still missing out on this vaccine? What is the gap here…
