As of this week, one hundred (100) countries around the world have introduced the vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV) into their national schedules.
News of this major milestone follows this week’s introductions of the HPV vaccination in Kenya (18 October) and Uzbekistan (21 October), where girls aged 10 and 9 years, respectively, began to receive the vaccine.Despite this significant milestone, important challenges remain. The 100 countries cover only 30% of the global target population. Low-income and lower-middle-income countries have introduced HPV vaccine at much lower rates than high-income countries, reflecting global disparities in cervical cancer incidence and mortality.
The HPV vaccine saves lives, as it can prevent most cervical cancer cases. Vaccination for adolescent girls is the most cost-effective public health measure against cervical cancer, and it is one of the key pillars of a comprehensive strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue. The other two pillars focus on screening and treating pre-cancerous lesions and the treatment of cervical cancer cases, and palliative care.
The elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem is within reach for all countries. Next year, the World Health Assembly will discuss a Draft Global Strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health issue, presented for approval, which will provide countries with targets and strategic actions for countries in their efforts.