HPV vaccination - Why it is needed 

Why HPV vaccination is necessary 

Cervical cancer

Andy Nordin, a gynaecological oncologist, explains the symptoms of cervical cancer, who’s most at risk and the treatment options.

High-risk types of HPV

The most common high-risk types of HPV (HPV-16 and HPV-18) are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

If your immune system does not deal with a high-risk HPV infection, it can lead to cell changes (dyskaryosis) and abnormal growth of pre-cancerous cells in your cervix. This is also known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).

CIN is not cancer but, if left untreated, it can develop into cancer in some women. This can take up to 10 years.

Low-risk types of HPV

Low risk types of HPV include HPV-6 and HPV-11, which cause most cases of genital warts. The low-risk types of HPV are unlikely to lead to cervical cancer because genital warts themselves do not cause cervical cancer.

HPV vaccine

Clinical trials of Cervarix (the HPV vaccine used in the UK vaccination programme) have shown that it protects against two types of HPV:

  • HPV-16
  • HPV-18

HPV-16 and HPV-18 are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

The clinical trials showed that Cervarix was effective in protecting against these two types of HPV virus in girls and women from the ages of 10 to 25.

However, the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV and it is therefore not guaranteed to prevent cervical cancer. This is why regular cervical screening continues to play an important role in detecting potentially cancerous cell changes in the cervix (neck of the womb).

Cervarix does not:

  • protect against genital warts (although another licensed HPV vaccine called Gardasil does)
  • protect against all cases of cervical cancer or replace the need for regular cervical screening
  • treat existing cervical cancer
  • treat an HPV infection that is already present
  • protect against illnesses or conditions, including cancers, that are not caused by infection with HPV-16 or HPV-18
  • protect against infection with other types of HPV (you should therefore practise safe sex using condoms, which offer some protection against HPV infections)

HPV infections

HPV infections are transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Genital HPV infections are common and are transmitted through sexual contact. The viruses that cause genital HPV infections may be present on your genitals and the surrounding area, including around your anus.

Up to 8 out of 10 people are infected with HPV at some time during their lives. In most cases, the virus does not cause any harm because the immune system (the body’s natural defence against infection) usually gets rid of the infection. It is also possible for you to be infected with more than one type of HPV.

Having sex just once could expose you to a genital HPV infection. Therefore, if you are infected with HPV, it does not necessarily mean that you have had a large number of sexual partners. However, a large number of sexual partners will increase your risk of becoming infected, as will having sex at a young age.

Using a condom during sexual intercourse is the most effective method of protecting against sexually transmitted infection (STI), and it can also help to prevent a genital HPV infection. However, as condoms do not cover the entire genital area and are often put on after sexual contact has begun, a HPV infection can still be transmitted even when a condom is used.

In 99 out of 100 cases, cervical cancer occurs as a result of a history of infection with high-risk types of HPV. Even if you are infected with a high-risk type of HPV (see box, left) you may not have any symptoms.

Last reviewed: 23/09/2010

Next review due: 23/09/2012

Comments

6 Comments

Our rules

Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

Grace Filby said on 17 December 2011

Having read this comment "The vaccine is very safe and side effects are very rare" and to prevent any misunderstandings, I would just like to make it clear that there have been as many as 6066 reports of side effects already in the Yellow Card system, (a sixth of those serious) as stated in Parliament by a Health Minister.

Known adverse reactions are listed on the Patient Information Leaflet, Summary of Product Characteristics for practitioners, the MHRA site, European Medicines Agency, Datapharm and here on NHS Choices. There is clear evidence in the clinical trial data from GSK that side effects are not rare at all - some are very common.

Regarding safety, the EMA Medicines Guide states "Cervarix is not suitable for everyone and some people should never use it". Besides, it was agreed in the US Supreme Court that "vaccines are unavoidably unsafe".

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

Lia95 said on 13 December 2011

How can be safe is when BLUE PRINTS of MHRA shows:

11.268 = adverse reactions

4.056 = severe adverse reactions

2 = fatal reports

this in Jan/2011


plus how many havent been reported,

ITS NOT SAFE AT ALL not in my books

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

janis louden said on 13 December 2011

In response to Dr Fay Haffenden comment that

'vaccines prevent unnecessary deaths and suffering'

With the greatest of respect, I would like to say that they also cause it.

Please see www.sanevax.org memorial pages and the Department of Health agency www.mhra.gov.org, for the extensive list of known adverse reactions and 6066 yellow card reports from girls who are clearly suffering.
KInd regards
Janis Louden

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

Mrs Halliday said on 22 November 2011

I noted you welcome feedback: My daughter aged 13 had the HPV vaccine x 2 in Sept/Nov 2010 and has suffered a range of illness, headaches, dizziness, sore and painful muscles and joints, faints, light sensitivity, over the past year.

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

Dr Fay Haffenden said on 16 February 2011

Hi, Grace! I’m a public health doctor and I run a HPV vaccination programme for school girls. I agree with you that the title of this page is misleading and would be better titled ‘More information about the HPV vaccination’. While condoms are generally good at preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections, they aren’t always effective for HPV which is spread very easily from one person to another by intimate contact so can be caught before putting on a condom.
What normally happens when you catch HPV is that your body’s immune system responds by developing antibodies against that particular type of HPV. It often takes your body quite a long time to produce antibodies to HPV; 1 in 5 women infected with HPV would still be infected in two years later so won’t have antibodies or immunity. Just a very few women never develop immunity and are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
We can test for current HPV infection (and for antibodies which show past infections). The cervical screening programme for women aged 25-64 will soon start checking for current HPV infection in women whose cervical samples show some minor changes; if they have an HPV infection, they need treatment and frequent monitoring; if not, they can come back for routine screens in 3 or 5 years time.
The vaccine contains some HPV of the types which carry cancer risk but made harmless; the vaccine fools your body into thinking it has an HPV infection and producing antibodies. These antibodies then fight HPV if you later get exposed to it and so prevent you getting HPV. The vaccine is very safe and side effects are very rare. Women sadly do die from cervical cancer in the UK, like TV reality star Jade Goody. By getting vaccinated at a young age girls are protecting themselves against HPV and cervical cancer in later life.
Yes the human race can survive without vaccines but they prevent a lot of unnecessary death and suffering.

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

Grace Filby said on 09 September 2010

I fail to see why your page heading is still "Why HPV vaccination is necessary" when your information contains a list of all the things the vaccine doesn't do, and advocates condoms anyway, and explains that the immune system can usually get rid of HPV infections without it causing harm. I expect clean water has something to do with it.

The last bit is a puzzle:
"In 99% of cases, cervical cancer results from a history of infection with high risk types of HPV.
If you are infected with a high risk type of HPV, you will have no symptoms."
So where was any proof of a history of infection?

Many people do not accept that the vaccine is "necessary" - unavoidable, inevitable, pre-destined or even enforced - when the human race survived all this time without it, and did not have to suffer any of the chemical side effects or pressure from big business until recently.

Report this content as offensive or unsuitable

  • Link to Directgov – public services all in one place
  • The Information Standard - Certified member