Myth: The HPV vaccine does not have the potential to increase life expectancy.
Truth: This is false.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an incurable sexually transmitted disease that is commonly linked to cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women. As such, it is important that research is prioritized for its diagnosis and prevention.
An Italian study published in Population Health Metrics found morbidity improvements among HPV-vaccinated women. In this study, researchers gave 100,000 Italian women the vaccine and found a marginal increase in life expectancy from 83.1 to 83.2 years. The vaccine also had the ability to reduce HPV-related incidences, which cuts social and healthcare costs on the burden and potential symptom-reduction treatments. To read more about this study, click here.
Reference
- Marcellusi, A. Impact of HPV vaccination: health gains in the Italian female population. Popul Health Metrics 15, 36 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-017-0154-0
