HPV Vaccination Programs Showing Early Results

For many vaccines, it’s easy to see a quick impact but for other vaccines that target slower-moving ailments, it can take years or even decades until a population reaps the benefits. Such appears to be the case with human papillomavirus (HPV), a new analysis of the first three years of an HPV vaccination program in Victoria, Australia, reveals a drop in the incidence of cervical lesions among young women. The study didn’t find a similar effect in women over 18, but that’s likely to come with time. The first HPV vaccine was licensed in 2006. Australia was the first to roll out a national program in 2007, that aimed to vaccinate as many girls and young women as possible between 12 and 26 years old. The vaccine only prevents infection from the virus and can’t help once someone already has HPV, so doctors favor vaccinating girls and women who have not...