"The HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer by protecting against the high-risk HPV types," cancer researcher Ashish A. Deshmukh said.

Deaths from cervical cancer are plummeting among young women in the US, and scientists think we have a single vaccine to thank for the numerous lives saved. In the last decade alone, national health data suggests there has been a 62 percent drop in cervical cancer deaths in women under the age of 25.