According to a recent study, high-income nations are on course to eradicate cervical cancer by 2048, a disease that was once a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the UK.

However, the study’s authors caution that without significant efforts to expand access to HPV vaccination and screening, women in less affluent countries will continue to be at high risk.

Published in the medical journal The Lancet, the study utilized existing national data on cervical cancer vaccination and screening to assess disease rates.

The findings indicate that improvements will be much slower in low- and middle-income regions, with only marginal decreases in cases expected over the next hundred years.

This disparity means the gap between high-income and poorer regions will significantly widen, leaving women in economically disadvantaged countries facing disproportionately high rates of this preventable illness.

‘HPV vaccination and screening have the potential to cost-effectively reduce cervical cancers by more than 90 per cent globally,’ said the study authors. 

‘The driving factor of inequalities in cervical cancer incidence between lower-middle-income countries and high-income countries is the large difference in access to cervical cancer. 

‘Unacceptably, these inequalities are set to increase through the inequitable global distribution of vaccination.’

High-income countries are on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2048, a study has found

Pictured: Projected population-level impact of  HPV vaccination and screening strategies on cervical cancer incidence  and inequalities between high income and low- and middle-income countries over time

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is an extremely common virus spread through skin-to-skin contact

Around eight in 10 people will get HPV at some point in their life and their body will clear it without any problems, according to the NHS.

However, 13 out of the 150 varieties of the virus stay in the body for a long time and are known to cause 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers.

The study highlights the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) goals of vaccinating 90 per cent of girls, screening 70 per cent of women and treating 90 per cent of pre-cancer and cancer cases. 

Achieving these goals could avert 37 million cervical cancer cases over the next century and accelerate progress toward elimination.

However, the models also suggest that many poorer countries are unlikely to reach these targets without increased investments in elimination efforts. 

There are three types of cervical pre-cancer: CIN1 (mild), CIN2 (moderate) and CIN3 (severe). These are all abnormal cells that line the cervix.

If left untreated, roughly a third of CIN3 cases develop into cervical cancer within 10 years. The figure stands at roughly half after 30 years.

The majority of CIN3 cases are caused by a specific strain of HPV known as HPV16.

The authors say that recent advancements such as lower-cost and single-dose vaccines, expanded screening programmes, multi-age vaccination cohorts and efforts to include boys in vaccination campaigns can help make cervical cancer elimination feasible worldwide.

But this requires global, coordinated efforts from governments and international health agencies.

Cervical cancer symptoms to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex and lower back or pelvic pain

Pictured: A bar graph comparing cervical cancer rates for different age groups between 2010 and 2020 in England. It shows a sharp drop for 25 to 29-year-olds

In the UK, mortality rates for cervical cancer have fallen by approximately 80 per cent since the 1950s.    

This reduction is primarily due to the introduction of the national cervical screening programme and the highly successful HPV vaccination programme, with NHS England aiming to eliminate the disease by 2040.

However, the disease still leads to approximately 685 deaths a year in England. 

The HPV vaccine has been offered to all British schoolgirls in year eight since September 2008 and targets high-risk strains linked to cervical, genital and head and neck cancers. Eligibility was expanded to boys in year eight from September 2019.  

Experts have credited the HPV vaccine for helping to virtually eradicate the disease among women.

However, the jab, like all vaccines, does not offer 100 per cent protection, so women who have it are still recommended to have their regular smear tests. 

One of the most famous people who had cervical cancer was Big Brother’s Jade Goody, who tragically died from the disease in 2009 at the age of 27. 

Her public battle with the disease led to a significant increase in screening uptake in the UK, known as the ‘Jade Goody effect’. 

Currently, women aged 25 to 49 in the UK are invited for a cervical screening check at their GP surgery every three years. For those aged between 50 and 64, it is offered every five years. 

Screening is arguably all the more important for women aged 34 and above, who did not receive a vaccine that protects against the vast majority of cervical cancers as part of the school programme.  

WASHINGTON — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is actively traveling across the nation, setting the stage for what appears to be a promising 2028 presidential bid. He is honing his message, fostering connections, and striving to overcome the challenges faced during his 2024 race against President Trump.

At 47, DeSantis, who is nearing the end of his term in the Sunshine State, kicked off the week by engaging with business leaders at the Milken Institute’s global conference in Beverly Hills. Additionally, he is set to deliver the keynote address at the annual gala of the New York Republican Party on May 19 at Manhattan’s prestigious Plaza Hotel.

During a conversation on Monday, when asked about his presidential aspirations, DeSantis hinted at future possibilities. “I’m in my mid-40s. The year 2028, maybe even beyond that, provides a substantial runway,” he remarked. His response to The Post’s Charles Gasparino carried the undertones of a campaign speech.

In a reflective moment, DeSantis pointed to his achievements in Florida to bolster his potential candidacy. “Who transformed a state with 300,000 more Democrats than Republicans when he took office in 2018, to one with a 1.5 million Republican advantage?” he asked, referencing his own leadership.

“Who took a state that had more Democrats than Republicans by 300,000 when he got elected [in 2018], and now has 1.5 million more Republicans?” DeSantis asked, referring to himself.

“Who had a state that had a trillion-dollar economy and now has $1.8 trillion? Who has a state that had some school choice, now universal? A 50-year low in the crime rate? So we’ve got a good story to tell.”

A Republican insider told The Post of the Florida governor that “it’s not been a secret he’s running.”

“I think DeSantis totally thinks he can win,” said a GOP operative who frequently is in Florida. “He’d be top two in Iowa for sure.”

While Trump himself seems to have moved past the bad blood of the 2024 campaign, from which DeSantis withdrew following a distant second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, some of his allies would welcome a chance to take down his fellow Floridian — again.

“Team Trump is chomping at the bit to destroy DeSantis one more time,” a longtime Trump operative told The Post.

When DeSantis launched his first campaign for the White House three years ago this month, he was viewed as a rising star who could redirect Trump’s disruptive populism into an even-keeled agenda of low-tax, low-regulation business stewardship coupled with conservative social policies.

Over the past year, DeSantis has been busy repairing his relationship with the president and is even considered to be a possible cabinet pick next year when he departs Tallahassee.

“His lane is: most competent and effective governor in our nation’s history who consistently delivers on every promise he makes,” said DeSantis’ former national spokesperson Christina Pushaw, who described the governor as having significant potential appeal to independents.

The GOP operative frequently in Florida agreed that “a lot of people like DeSantis.”

“This is a guy that I believe sees there’s a window to run for president, you don’t know how long it stays open, and once it’s closed, that’s it,” this person said.

DeSantis signed legislation in March to rename West Palm Beach’s airport in Trump’s honor, on the heels of facilitating the construction of Trump’s presidential library in Miami.

In one of his biggest deliveries yet for Trump, DeSantis signed a bill on Monday to redraft Florida’s congressional districts, giving Republicans an anticipated four-seat gain in the November midterm elections — offsetting a likely four-district loss in Virginia.

The aggressive redistricting move guards against a possible Democratic takeover of the House, which would result in Trump’s anticipated third impeachment, the end of his legislative agenda and an array of other investigations.

DeSantis golfed with Trump in February and March — publicly showing there’s no bad blood despite the president ruthlessly mocking him with the nicknames “DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron” during the 2024 primary campaign.

Many Trump loyalists remain wary, however, and the governor would face stiff competition in 2028.

Polling shows that Vice President JD Vance is currently best-positioned to succeed Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also viewed as a possible front-runner and others, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), are likely to at least explore campaigns.

Lately, “you hear a lot more about Rubio. Rubio is the guy,” the Florida operative said. “Vance has his pockets, but overwhelmingly Rubio is the guy among most people … even, say, in Palm Beach.”

“It’s JD’s race to lose right now,” suggested a former DeSantis staffer.

“That said, there’s a million new cycles between now and a primary — anything can happen with a coalition that’s showing cracks.”

The former aide said that “DeSantis is by far the most effective, results-driven conservative executive in recent memory, but it remains to be seen if his team learned the right lessons from the [2024] campaign.”

“The country would be better off in every way should he stay on the national stage,” the ex-aide said. “The moves he makes in the coming months should be very revealing.”

DeSantis, born in 1978, is the son of a TV rating box installer who played baseball at Yale University before graduating from Harvard Law School in 2005.

He often plays up his humble origins, joking as recently as Monday about showing up to class in New Haven wearing jean shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops.

Before entering politics, DeSantis served in the Navy, including in Iraq. In 2012, he was elected to represent the Daytona Beach area in the US House, then narrowly beat Democrat Andrew Gillum in 2018 to become governor. He cruised to a nearly 20-point reelection win in 2022 against Charlie Crist, the state’s former Republican governor who ran as a Democrat.

MAGA not sold — despite Cabinet buzz

DeSantis’s candidacy in 2024 broke with Trump on many issues, and the president’s loyalists remain skeptical — noting the governor’s perceived social awkwardness that led to public scrutiny of everything from his choice of footwear to the timbre of his laugh.

As a candidate, DeSantis accused Trump of “running to the left” on economic, immigration and abortion policy and faulted him for listening to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s COVID-19 pandemic shutdown guidance. He didn’t push for sweeping global tariffs and vowed to move on from the “daily drama” of Trump.

After lapping the GOP primary field, Trump won a second non-consecutive term, winning the national popular vote and an Electoral College landslide.

Trump’s comeback campaign was masterminded by Florida political veteran Susie Wiles, an ex-DeSantis aide whom the governor fired in 2019 despite her role in helping him win his office the prior year.

Insiders insist Wiles, now White House chief of staff and the most powerful aide to the president, doesn’t hold a grudge against DeSantis.

“Susie isn’t in the business of holding grudges. She leaves that kind of baggage at the door and shows up every day to serve the president,” the Trump operative insisted.

“If there’s any issue from the past with Ron, it’s because his social awareness peaked around the age of show-and-tell.”

Trump himself told reporters last month that he’s open to naming the governor to his cabinet because “I think he’s good — doing a good job.”

The current betting is that DeSantis likely won’t join the administration, despite speculation he could be either attorney general or war secretary.

“Do you want to be defense secretary in the Republican Party, where a lot of the voters aren’t necessarily as gung ho about this war stuff, and you have a president who seems willing to go into war?” the GOP operative often in Florida said.

“I do think there’s reason to think that that’s not the right position to be in if you want to run for president.”

A former Trump White House official said that the attorney general role “made the most sense,” but added that acting attorney general Todd Blanche is “doing well” and may fill the position permanently — while the move could be “dumb tactically” for DeSantis.

The governor still has many opponents among the president’s core political team, even if Trump, the likely GOP king-maker in 2028, has warmed to him.

“No matter how many influencers he pays off, Ron will never be the heir to the MAGA movement,” the longtime Trump operative told The Post.

The former White House official, meanwhile, scoffed at the governor’s shifting approach to Trump, calling DeSantis “as authentic as a strip mall Santa.”

Still, Trump has made a habit of pulling former enemies into his orbit.

Rubio and Trump, for example, traded attacks in 2016, with the then-Florida senator even making vulgar insinuations about the future president’s hand size. Trump has since given Rubio an ever-mounting number of administration roles and mentions him as a possible successor alongside Vance.

The president also gave DeSantis a shout-out at a college athletics panel discussion in March at the White House.

“Ron DeSantis has been working very hard with us,” the president raved.

“Wherever you may be, Ron — Hi, Ron! — [he] has some great ideas and some great coaches that gave him some great ideas.”

Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, recently overcame a severe case of pneumonia that was so critical, a priest administered last rites before his unexpected recovery.

At 81, Giuliani managed to breathe on his own and was removed from a ventilator on Monday, according to a reliable source speaking to The Daily Mail.

“He’s a fighter,” remarked Dr. Maria Ryan, Giuliani’s physician, during an interview with Fox News.

“Considering his condition yesterday was so critical, a priest performed anointing rites, and with all the prayers sent his way, his recovery feels like a miracle,” she added.

Dr. Ryan noted that Giuliani began feeling unwell after returning from a trip to Paris, marking the start of his health ordeal.

She said that after going to the hospital and being put on a ventilator, a Catholic priest was called to his bed to perform the last rites at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach. 

However, Giuliani eventually started to improve and has returned to breathing independently and speaking.  He was even able to communicate with his children Caroline and Andrew Giuliani.

Ryan added that she expects Giuliani to make a full recovery.  

‘This guy’s got nine lives,’ she said. ‘Today he’s doing much better.’

Rudy Giuliani has fought back from pneumonia so dire he was given last rites before turning it around on the road to a full recovery

Dr. Maria Ryan (pictured right), Giuliani’s doctor and rumored girlfriend , said the man once known as ‘America’s Mayor’ after the September 11, 2001 started to feel sick upon returning from a trip to Paris

A source stressed to The Daily Mail that Giuliani’s condition remains serious and he may spend several more days in the waterfront Florida facility, a five-minute drive from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. 

The former New York City mayor had contracted pneumonia on Sunday, which placed him in the hospital. He was reportedly in critical condition. 

John Catsimatidis, a billionaire supermarket and media mogul and longtime friend of Giuliani’s, said he learned the encouraging news Monday afternoon from a former close aide. 

‘He’s talking, he’s alert. To me, that’s great news,’ Catsimatidis said, according to the New York Post. 

President Trump has praised Giuliani as a ‘True Warrior’ as well as ‘the best mayor in the history of New York City, by far.’

‘Rudy had a tough weekend,’ Giuliani’s business partner Tom von Essen said earlier.

Von Essen worked as the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks when Giuliani was mayor. 

‘Today is an important day,’ he added. 

Giuliani held a livestream on his Facebook page on Friday night where he could be heard coughing

Ryan (pictured left) added that she expects Giuliani to make a full recovery

‘Mayor Rudy Giuliani is recovering from pneumonia. On September 11, Mayor Giuliani ran toward the towers to help those in need, which later led to a diagnosis of restrictive airway disease,’ Giuliani’s spokesman Ted Goodman confirmed.

‘This condition adds complications to any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition.’

The 81-year-old held a livestream on his Facebook page on Friday night during which he could be heard coughing.

As it started, he said: ‘My voice is a little under the weather, so I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do.’

Giuliani famously campaigned with Trump and a group of Republicans to overturn the 2020 election results, citing unverified fraud that later opened him up to defamation suits he settled in court.

‘Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the most transformative figure in the history of NY City politics,’ former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino wrote. 

‘He pulled off an economic and public safety miracle in a relatively short amount of time, and the city rose from the dead. I worked for the NYPD during the end of his second term. It was the honor of a lifetime.’

In November of last year, Giuliani was pardoned by Trump, among other Republicans, for his role in trying to overturn the election against President Biden.

Rudy Giuliani at the 9/11 memorial in September

Giuliani remains at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach

The former NYC mayor gave an infamous speech outside the Four Seasons landscaping business in Pennsylvania as Trump desperately attempted to claw back the presidency.

In 2023, Giuliani filed for bankruptcy with staggering debts of $153 million owed to creditors, including two Georgia election workers he defamed.

Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders. 

He was celebrated for a widespread crackdown on crime using the ‘broken windows’ philosophy and implementing the controversial stop-and-frisk program.

Giuliani ran for the Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He ran for president in 2008 before dropping out and backing John McCain.