June 26, 2019

the HPV vaccine – how effective is it?

It’s been 10 years since the HPV vaccine was first introduced in the UK. During these years the vaccine has been central to several media stories, including the decision to also offer the vaccine to teenage boys. But what is the evidence collected over this time on the effectiveness of HPV vaccines in preventing cervical cancer in women?

This systematic review and meta-analysis, to be published in The Lancet, looks at the impact of HPV vaccination in several high-income countries since the girls-only vaccine was introduced. The study brings together data from over 60 million individuals across 14 countries.

Come to the SMC to hear authors of the meta-analysis discuss aspects such as:

• How well does the vaccine protect against HPV infections and precancerous cervical lesions?
• Has enough time passed since the vaccine was introduced for the evidence to show that the vaccine protects against cervical cancer?
• What do these study findings mean for the HPV vaccination programme in the UK?
• What is the benefit of vaccinating more than one age group?
• How could vaccinating teenage boys contribute to the impact of the vaccine?

Speakers:

Prof Marc Brisson, Lead, Research Group in Mathematical Modeling and Health Economics of Infectious Diseases, Laval University, Canada (Appearing remotely)

Dr Mélanie Drolet, Epidemiologist, CHU de Quebec-Laval University Research Center, Canada (Appearing remotely)

Dr David Mesher, Principal Scientist, Public Health England