The HPV Vaccine, 20 Years Later episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 6, 2026 · 16 MIN

The HPV Vaccine, 20 Years Later

from Public Health On Call · host Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

About this episode:   In the two decades since the HPV vaccine was approved, women's risk of developing cervical cancer has dropped by 80% for those vaccinated before age 16 and 66% in those vaccinated after age 16. It has also lowered the risk of other HPV-related cancers in men. In this episode: Journalist Liz Szabo recounts the incredible successes of this intervention in preventing cancer and discusses the existing misinformation surrounding the vaccine, still considered by some to be too "new."  Guest:  Liz Szabo, MA, is an investigative health reporter with CIDRAP News. Host:  Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. Show links and related content:  20 Years of HPV Vaccine Success—CIDRAP News Do I Need an HPV Vaccine?—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Preventing Cancer: The Far-Reaching Impact of Vaccines—International Vaccine Access Center Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 6, 2026

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The HPV Vaccine, 20 Years Later

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