The UK government may save up to £18.6 million a year by deciding to use the HPV vaccine Cervarix, given that it is equally effective as the more expensive Gardasil in preventing cervical abnormalities, according to a study published on BMJ.com today.

New research into the causes of cervical cancer appears to lend weight to the promise of a potential early detection method that could help prevent human papillomavirus disease.

A random telephone survey of Hoosier adults' opinions about whether the HPV vaccine should be mandatory for middle school students reveals an "ambivalence about sexuality in our culture," similar to debates surrounding contraception and sex education, said William L. Yarber, senior director of the Rural Center on AIDS/STD Prevention at Indiana University.

A new vaccine against nine of the most harmful strains of human papillomavirus is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.

The routine vaccination of children against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - the first adolescent vaccine against a sexually transmitted infection - will be discussed at the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham today (1515hrs, Tuesday 2 October).

Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, said he is backing down in his effort to require that pre-teen girls be vaccinated against a virus known to cause cervical cancer in women.