No young women have died of cervical cancer in England for years

England has recorded zero cervical-cancer deaths among women aged 20 to 24 between 2020 and 2024, a first of its kind linked to HPV vaccination introduced from 2006 and routinely offered to girls from 2008. Researchers estimate around 200 lives have already be

For five years, England has had a striking blank space: no deaths from cervical cancer among women aged 20 to 24 between 2020 and 2024.

It’s the first time that zero cervical-cancer deaths have been recorded for this age group. Researchers say the change tracks closely with the rollout of a vaccine against human papillomavirus. or HPV—one of the biggest shifts in cervical-cancer prevention since the first vaccine became available in 2006.

Peter Sasieni, at Queen Mary University of London, does not try to hide the weight of what the numbers mean. “The results are stunning,” he says. “It’s an awful thing when somebody dies very young from cervical cancer. This is a real triumph for vaccination. a real triumph for science and a real triumph for public health to get that vaccine out there with very high uptake very rapidly.”.

HPV is spread through several kinds of sexual activity, and multiple strains genetically modify cells in a way that makes cancer extremely likely. Women can develop cervical cancer in their twenties because of the virus. Across the world, many people still die from it.

In the UK, HPV vaccination has been offered to girls aged 12 or 13 since 2008. Boys have also been offered the vaccine since 2019, aiming to protect them from other HPV-triggered cancers—those affecting the mouth, anus, throat and penis—and to prevent them from infecting others.

The study underpinning the new findings is described as the first evidence that the HPV vaccine prevents cervical-cancer-related deaths—not only that it dramatically reduces HPV infections and the incidence of cervical cancers.

That distinction matters, because the usual worry has always been about what vaccination might be preventing. “It may seem obvious that it prevents deaths,” Sasieni says, “but we know that the women who are least likely to get vaccinated are also the least likely to go for screening.”

So there was concern that the vaccine could mainly prevent cancers that would otherwise be caught early and treated through screening, while leaving a higher risk of cancers that screening might miss—cancers more likely to kill.

Sasieni and his colleague Milena Falcaro, also at Queen Mary, say the pattern they see does not match that fear. By monitoring cervical-cancer rates and deaths in England. they noticed that between 2020 and 2024 there were no deaths among women aged 20 to 24. Based on historical rates, around 23 deaths would be expected in that window. “As far back as I’ve seen data. there’s never been a year with none. and so five years in a row with no deaths is really quite something. ” Sasieni says.

The drop is “almost certainly” tied to vaccination. Around 90 per cent of women in England aged 20 to 24 were vaccinated when they were 12 or 13.

Caroline Temmink. director of vaccination for the National Health Service (NHS) in England. calls it “hugely encouraging news” and puts it in plain terms. “This hugely encouraging news shows the life-saving impact of the HPV vaccine. and it’s incredibly exciting to be able to say to this whole generation: cervical cancer and some other cancers shouldn’t be a risk for you.”.

While the study focuses on cervical cancer, Temmink’s view is that the benefits spread beyond it. HPV vaccination also helps prevent other HPV-related cancers, and it should protect against warts on the skin and genital and anal areas in both sexes.

The story is not perfectly flat across all ages. Sasieni and Falcaro note there were some deaths among women aged 25 to 29, but far fewer than expected. Even so, they estimate that around 200 lives have already been saved—and Sasieni argues that number barely scratches the surface.

“In the future, 18,000 deaths might be a rough estimate of what we’re preventing so far,” he says. “The 200 which we’ve estimated in the paper is really just the tip of the iceberg, because it looks like there’s long-term protection against infection.”

There is momentum here, but it comes with an uncomfortable warning. Worldwide, uptake of the HPV vaccine is low, and the rate of cervical cancer is still rising. And in the UK, progress could slow: Sasieni says death rates may rise because fewer teenagers are getting vaccinated.

“The bad news is that the vaccine uptake has fallen quite dramatically since covid,” he says.

That tension—between what vaccination has already changed and what could still go wrong—lands sharply alongside the NHS goal. Temmink says that alongside cervical screening, HPV vaccination is central to the NHS ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

“It’s a safe and effective vaccine and we urge everyone eligible to take up the offer when invited,” she says.

For now, the five-year absence of cervical-cancer deaths among women aged 20 to 24 stands as a rare, measurable victory. It is also a reminder that public health outcomes depend on reaching people in time—and that the gains can’t be taken for granted.

HPV vaccine cervical cancer England NHS vaccination women aged 20 to 24 vaccine uptake Peter Sasieni Milena Falcaro Caroline Temmink cervical screening eliminate cervical cancer by 2040