HPV vaccination in summary

In the future, the HPV vaccines will help reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of women who have to be treated for abnormal cervical screening results. The UK NHS vaccination programme for 12-18 year old girls estimates that it will save up to 400 lives a year [1]. Girls who are offered the HPV vaccine have an opportunity to protect themselves from two high risk strains of HPV that cause 70% of all cervical cancers. It is essential that all girls who are vaccinated also attend cervical screening because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV strains. If you are not eligible for the vaccination the best protection against cervical cancer is to continue going for regular cervical screening. The combination of HPV vaccination and cervical screening can help reduce cervical cancer in the UK.