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Denmark close to wiping out cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out

A nationwide study suggests infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 have been virtually eliminated since vaccination began in 2008 – protecting even unvaccinated women.

Denmark has effectively eliminated infections with the two biggest cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) since the vaccine was introduced in 2008, data suggests. To better understand the impact that these vaccination programmes have had on HPV prevalence as vaccinated girls reach cervical screening age (23 to 64 years in Denmark), Dr Mette Hartmann Nonboe at Zealand University Hospital in Nykøbing Falster and colleagues analysed up to three consecutive cervical cell samples collected from Danish women between 2017 and 2024, when they were 22 to 30 years of age. “Compared with previous generations, these women are expected to have a considerably lower risk of cervical cancer, and it is pertinent to assess [their] future need for screening.”

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