The HPV vaccine is highly effective and could help end cervical cancer, according to a study funded by the World Health Organization and published in The Lancet.
For the study, researchers reviewed 65 studies containing data on more than 60 million people in 14 high-income countries over eight years. The studies examined trends on HPV infections, genital warts diagnoses and cases of abnormal cells linked to cervical cancer before and after routine HPV vaccination was adopted, according to ABC News.
After HPV vaccination became routine, researchers identified a lower prevalence of precancerous cells in the cervix and of two HPV strains that are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers.
HPV vaccination also benefited people who did not get the vaccine due to herd immunity. When at least half of the population eligible for the HPV vaccine received it, the prevalence of HPV-related diseases dropped even among unvaccinated individuals.
"Because of our finding, we believe the WHO call for action to eliminate cervical cancer may be possible in many countries if sufficient vaccination coverage can be achieved," study author Marc Brisson, PhD, a professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, told CNBC.