Cervical cancer: HPV vaccine is another victory for science over conspiracy theorists – Scotsman comment

Amid a rise of ‘anti-vaxxers’, science is continuing to make life-saving discoveries

What would the world be like without science? It is hard to imagine how much worse off we would all be if the scientific method had not produced its extraordinary revolution in human knowledge. And to the long list of reasons to be grateful must be added yet another: a vaccine that is effective at preventing cervical cancer.

According to a new Public Health Scotland study, of all the women in Scotland who were fully vaccinated against human papillomavirus and received their first dose at the age of 12 or 13 since 2008, not a single one has developed cervical cancer. We hope that, as this group ages, the same level of protection will remain. If so, modern medicine will have ridden society of one more potentially deadly disease, a source of grief and heartbreak for all too many.

Scientists are not perfect but, amid a rise in unscientific nonsense from anti-vaxxers and other delusional conspiracy theorists, it is important to remember their illustrious track record and celebrate their latest achievements in making our lives longer, healthier and happier in a way that self-appointed ‘experts’ never do.