“It’s incredible to think that a single jab can almost eliminate a particular type of cancer,” said Prof Peter Sasieni, the lead researcher at Queen Mary University of London.
Overall, cervical cancer is still the 14th most common cancer among females in the UK, with 3,300 people diagnosed every year.
It is thought HPV, a virus which is spread through close skin-to-skin contact, causes 99% of those cases.
Most HPV infections clear up without any problems, but some cause abnormal cell changes and can lead to cancer years later.
The report’s authors expect the numbers dying from the disease to continue to fall as more are given a HPV jab and vaccinated people grow older.
Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, described the findings as an “incredible milestone” but warned that vaccination rates in England were running below recommended levels.
“We know the HPV vaccine is extremely effective at stopping cervical cancer before it starts and for the first time these findings show it is saving lives,” said the organisation’s chief executive Michelle Mitchell.
