HPV vaccinations also leading to fewer cases among unvaccinated people

HPV vaccinations have also resulted in unvaccinated people running a much smaller risk of contracting the virus, according to the RIVM. Researchers at the Dutch public health institute calculated that the chance of infection of two HPV variants among unvaccinated women dropped by 70 percent since the vaccination program was introduced. They are partly protected by the people who are getting vaccinated.

HPV lingers in a person’s body, and is a cause of various cancers, including cervical, penile, anal, and pharangeal, or throat cancer. A vaccination offers around 95 percent protection against the infection.

Individuals can contract the virus by having different forms of sexual contact with a carrier of the virus. The majority of people are exposed to HPV at one point, but most cases do not lead to health issues.

The vaccinations against HPV began in 2010 in the Netherlands. At first, it was only possible for girls to get the vaccine, but boys are now also able to get vaccinated.

The fact that the chance of infection also decreased for unvaccinated people is because the use of vaccines have helped prevent the virus from circulating. This shows the importance of vaccination against HPV," the RIVM concluded.

The RIVM are still concerned about low vaccination turnouts. It was reported last month that most of the people suffering from cervical cancer were not vaccinated against HPV.