Vaccinating girls aged 12 and 13 in Scotland has created substantial herd protection Media for Medical/Getty

The routine vaccination of schoolgirls against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in Scotland has led to a dramatic reduction in cervical cancer in later life.

Some forms of the sexually-transmitted HPV are linked to cervical cancer – one of the most common cancers in women aged under 35 in the UK. A decade ago, the UK government introduced a UK-wide immunisation programme for girls aged 12 and 13.

Compared with unvaccinated women born in 1988, vaccinated women born in 1995 and 1996 showed reductions of up …