CERVICAL cancer could soon be eliminated by vaccinations, experts claim.
Girls aged 12 to 13 have been offered the jab at school since 2008 as part of a national programme and it will now be extended to boys.
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It protects against human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases, plus other forms of the disease, such as head and neck tumours. The sexually-transmitted bug can also cause genital warts.
Now a Lancet medical journal study across 14 wealthy countries shows a sharp drop in HPV infections since vaccination began.
The jabs led to an 86 per cent fall in cases among UK girls aged 15 to 19.
Researcher Prof Marc Brisson, of Laval University in Canada, said if vaccination uptake remains high, cervical cancer could be eliminated “in decades”.
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And he expected to see a “substantial reduction” within the next ten years.
Around 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK, with 1,000 dying annually.
Public Health England says jab uptake tops 80 per cent.
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