Doctor wins 2017 John Maddox prize for countering HPV vaccine misinformation

Riko Muranaka awarded prize for efforts to explain jabs's safety amid scare campaigns which have seen Japanese vaccination rate fall from over 70% to 1%

A Japanese doctor who has stood up to a campaign of misinformation around a common anti-cancer vaccine has won a prestigious prize for championing evidence in the face of hostility and personal threats.

Riko Muranaka at Kyoto University was awarded the 2017 John Maddox prize on Thursday for her efforts to explain the safety of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine amid strong opposition from anti-vaccine activists and a small group of academics.