News Desk news.uloscah.com
The HPV vaccine is very safe and highly effective at preventing cervical cancer, according to two major global reviews that strongly support routine vaccination of adolescents against human papillomavirus.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection and is responsible for genital warts and several cancers. Merck’s Gardasil vaccine — first approved in 2006 — protects against nine high-risk HPV strains known to cause cancer.
Nearly 60 randomized clinical trials involving 160,000 participants showed that HPV vaccines effectively prevent HPV infection, precancerous cervical lesions, and genital warts. These findings were combined with 225 observational studies covering more than 132 million people worldwide. Together, they revealed that girls vaccinated before age 16 had an 80% lower risk of cervical cancer.
“The vaccine works. Full stop. The vaccine is safe. Full stop,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington. She praised the reviews as “robust” and “gold standard.”
Real-world success
Countries with widespread HPV vaccination are already seeing dramatic drops in disease:
- Australia reported zero cervical cancer cases in 2021 among women under 25 — the first time since records began in 1982.
- Scotland found no new cases in women fully vaccinated in their youth.
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Addressing misinformation
Lead author Jo Morrison, of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said the reviews debunked misinformation claiming the vaccine causes infertility, chronic fatigue, or paralysis. The evidence found no link between HPV vaccination and these concerns, and serious side effects were rare and occurred at similar rates as placebo.
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Health officials and politics
The findings arrive as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a longtime vaccine skeptic — faces renewed scrutiny over his past comments about childhood vaccines. Kennedy has financially benefited from vaccine-injury lawsuits involving Gardasil and has previously called it “the most dangerous vaccine ever.” The HHS did not comment.
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Who should get vaccinated?
CDC guidelines — established before Kennedy’s tenure — recommend:
- Routine HPV vaccination at ages 11–12
- Eligibility for ages 9–26, with vaccination available up to age 45
Gardasil protects against HPV strains that can cause cervical, anal, vulval, vaginal, penile, and throat cancers. About 48,000 HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.
Since the vaccine’s introduction, cervical cancer rates among U.S. women in their early 20s have dropped by 65%, according to a 2023 American Cancer Society study\.
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A survivor’s warning
Morgan Newman, now 35, declined the vaccine at 16 because she felt it was “too new.” Eight years later, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, underwent aggressive treatment, and lost her fertility. After surviving a metastasis and nearly a decade in remission, she now advocates for HPV education.
“I share my story so others won’t make the same mistake,” said Newman, who volunteers with Cervivor, a cervical cancer advocacy group.
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