A little more than a year after the World Health Organization led a push to eliminate a cancer for the first time in human history, the increased availability of HPV vaccines has the potential to ensure that hundreds of thousands of women do not become infected and die.

Driven by a global strategy, for the first time in history, the elimination of cervical cancer – which is predominantly caused by the Human Papilloma Virus – is not only feasible but there are models on how to do it. But for that to happen, getting vaccines, especially to the whole cadre of teenagers and young adults, is critical.

Australia has shown what can be done when governments commit to a strategy that has its roots in public health and which focuses on screening and early double-dose vaccination for boys and girls. They are on target to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035.

A recent Cancer Research UK-funded study found that in women offered the vaccine between the ages of 12 and 13 in the UK, cervical cancer rates were 87 per cent lower than those who had not been vaccinated.

And it’s not only rich countries. From the United Arab Emirates to Morocco to Rwanda, the successful rollout of HPV vaccines is saving lives and providing a steady stream of evidence about the effectiveness of the vaccine. 

Morocco is a case in point and has committed in its National Plan for the Prevention and the Control of Cancer for multiple measures including, allowing women access to regular screening services and implementing a vaccine strategy in
accordance with the objectives of the WHO led global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.

With surging demand now being matched by growing supply thanks to investments by companies like Merck, the moonshot of cervical cancer elimination, alongside a number of other HPV related illnesses are genuinely feasible. Vaccines are only part of the solution. 

It’s important not to forget the millions of people already infected who need support today. They need access to quality screening and early treatment to cervical cancer. 

Although the technologies to prevent HPV and cervical cancer exist, vaccination and screening rates in many countries remain low. Relatively few low- and middle-income countries that are eligible for heavily discounted prices from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have introduced HPV into their immunisation programmes.

While Covid-19 has strained health systems, it’s important that as the world looks to overcome the pandemic the effort to build strong vaccination systems that reach all those in need are developed.

With at-price vaccines available to low-income countries, some of the major barriers now are making sure that countries are ready and people understand the lifesaving value of this vaccine. The challenge of training health workers and physically being able to reach the people that need the vaccine requires funding and planning.

There is technical support on hand for this from the likes of the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The private sector also has an important partnership role to play as it works with governments and communities, to ensure that supply chain strategies are in place that will allow for predictable delivery patterns and to allow countries to adequately plan what is required for storage and deployment of vaccines.

Much like with Covid-19, science has been front and centre in developing vaccines for HPV. With rising supply, it is even more important to ensure that facts about the vaccine and the vast swath of evidence around the safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccines are communicated to key populations to ensure that myths around the vaccine are tackled head
on.

It is within the grasp of governments to make the commitment to reach specific targets on vaccination (90 per cent of girls fully vaccinated by the age of 15), screening (70 per cent of women screened by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45) and treatment (90 per cent of women with pre-cancer treated and 90 per cent of women with invasive cancer managed set out by the global strategy) and we call on them to stop the needless and preventable diseases caused by HPV.

The one-year anniversary of the global strategy is an opportunity for countries to take stock and to evaluate where they are on the path HPV cancer elimination. According to the WHO, when countries invest in HPV cancer elimination and screening the return on investment according to the WHO is that every dollar spent returns $2.74.

This moonshot is both possible and smart economics.

• HRH Princess Dina Mired, former president of the Union For International Cancer Control (UICC)

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