A three-year initiative to provide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to low-income countries has prevented an estimated 1.4 million cervical cancer deaths, the vaccine alliance Gavi announced Monday.
“Thanks to a coordinated effort over the past three years by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and lower-income countries, around 86 million girls are now protected against the leading cause of cervical cancer,” the organisation said.
The announcement, made to mark World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day, highlighted that “an estimated 1.4 million future deaths” have been averted through the campaign.
HPV-related cervical cancer disproportionately affects low-income nations, where access to screening and treatment is often limited.
These countries accounted for 90 percent of the 350,000 cervical cancer deaths recorded globally in 2022, according to Gavi.
Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar praised the “incredible commitment” of countries and partner organisations that helped achieve the target of immunising 86 million girls.
Across Africa, vaccine coverage has surged from just four percent of girls in 2014 to 44 percent by the end of 2024, surpassing Europe’s coverage of 38 percent.
Gavi leveraged economies of scale to lower vaccine costs and expand access to approximately 50 low-income countries.
“Gavi secured commitments from manufacturers to invest in HPV vaccines, reducing the price in Gavi-supported countries to between $2.90 and $5.18 per dose, compared with over $100 elsewhere,” the statement said.
"This collaborative effort is driving major global progress towards eliminating one of the deadliest diseases affecting women," she said, while stressing that the cancer still kills a woman every two minutes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially backed a single-dose HPV vaccination schedule instead of the previous two doses in 2022, allowing twice as many girls to be vaccinated with existing stocks.