A landmark study has found the HPV vaccine has reduced the risk of young women dying from cervical cancer before age 30 to almost zero, with no deaths among 20 to 24-year-olds in England over a four-year period.

Australia, the first country to introduce a national school-based human papillomavirus vaccination program in 2007, is on track to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue by 2035.

But experts warn progress is at risk, with vaccination rates falling in recent years to 78.7 per cent in girls and 75.6 per cent in boys, and lower coverage among Indigenous teenagers.

Epidemiologist Julia Brotherton says she is “really, really devastated” by the decline, warning it risks undoing decades of progress. Health advocates stress that regular screening remains essential, even with strong vaccine protection.

Reporter: Brianna Parkins