The virus, commonly known as HPV, is responsible for the most widespread sexually transmitted infection in the world but current vaccination drives only target girls.
Although the infection can remain without any symptoms and resolve naturally within two years in 90pc of cases, its persistence can lead to cancer in some people.
HPV-induced cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with nearly 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths every year.
HPV vaccines, shown to be effective in minimising disease spread and cancer risk, are currently offered and recommended in 147 countries.
But the best vaccination strategy to eradicate HPV-induced cervical cancer remains debatable, researchers say.
Now scientists have come up with a new mathematical model to help public health officials design more effective HPV vaccination programmes.
Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers effectively prevented by vaccines
The model, detailed in a new study published in the journal Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, assessed whether a recent HPV vaccination programme in South Korea was enough to control cervical cancer.
Researchers found that vaccinating boys against HPV, along with ongoing efforts to immunise girls, could be key.
“Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers effectively prevented by vaccines,” Soyoung Park, lead author of the study from the University of Maryland, said.
“It was important to check if the recent government programme for offering vaccines is going to be enough to effectively control the disease in Korea.”
The new model incorporates demographic and South Korean cervical cancer data from 1999 to 2020 to predict how HPV transmits across a population.
HPV-induced cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. Stock image: Getty
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Wednesday, December 24th
South Korea’s national immunisation programme, which started in 2016, vaccinates about 80pc of the nation’s girls aged 12-17, while another 30,000 women aged 18-26 receive “catch-up vaccinations” annually.
The model shows these policies are insufficient to eliminate HPV and related cancers in the country.
To completely eradicate cervical cancer, researchers estimate that the immunisation drive must cover 99pc of women in the country. But vaccinating boys “reduces the pressure of having to vaccinate a large proportion of females”, Dr Abba Gumel, another study author, said.
The study proposes immunising 65pc of the boys in the 12-17 group while maintaining the current 80pc female vaccination coverage. Doing this will eliminate HPV-related cancers in South Korea within 60-70 years, the study estimates. “The way to protect them is to surround them with a sea of immunity,” Dr Gumel said.