Former Australian of the Year and vaccine co-creator to retire

Professor Ian Frazer has changed the world.

The co-creator of Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine, is credited with saving millions of lives with more than 440 million doses administered throughout the world.

"We've managed to roll the vaccine out extremely effectively in the developed world, which is great," Frazer told A Current Affair.

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"It will eventually eradicate cervical cancer.

"Although the WHO (World Health Organisation) say that will take until the end of the century even for the developed world."

Now the science world will have a huge hole to fill with the former Australian of the Year deciding it's time to hang up the lab coat.

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In a one-on-one interview with A Current Affair reporter Chris Allen, Frazer looked back at his incredible career.

He also revealed what we need to know about COVID-19 this coming Christmas.

For the full story, watch the video above.