Cervical cancer vaccine protects 86 million girls from cancer, saved 1.4 million lives —Gavi

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, said its three-year campaign to bring vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) to low-income countries has prevented an estimated 1.4 million future deaths and protected 86 million girls in the world’s highest-risk countries from cervical cancer.

This milestone, announced on the first World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day, follows a major revitalization of Gavi’s HPV vaccine programme that began in 2023.

In 2023, Gavi, in partnership with countries across the world, launched an ambitious campaign to protect 86 million girls against the primary cause of cervical cancer and prevent more than a million deaths.

The CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Dr Sania Nishtar, disclosed that every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer, a disease that is both devastating and largely preventable.

Nishtar declared that the collaborative effort by countries, partners, civil society and communities was the drive behind the major global progress towards eliminating one of the deadliest diseases affecting women.

“Gavi secured commitments from manufacturers to invest in HPV vaccines – and the price of HPV vaccines in Gavi-supported countries is now between $2.90 and $5.18 per dose, compared with US$100 or more elsewhere,” said the statement.

Cervical cancer strikes hardest in lower-income countries, which often lack screening services and equitable access to treatment. As a result, these countries account for 90% of the 350,000 deaths from cervical cancer recorded in 2022.

Yet a safe and effective vaccine exists. The HPV vaccine – which protects against the human papillomavirus, the primary cause of cervical cancer – is highly effective, averting 17.4 deaths for every 1,000 children vaccinated.

Gavi said that across Africa the coverage rate for the vaccine had risen from four percent of girls in 2014 to 44 percent at the end of 2024, surpassing coverage rates in Europe (38% by the end of 2024).

The organization added that HPV vaccine coverage across all Gavi-supported countries also steadily increased to 25 per cent by the end of 2024, compared to 8 per cent in 2022.

The prevention of illness and death from cervical cancer between 2014 and 2024 across all Gavi-supported countries will generate more than US$ 2.3 billion in economic benefits.

Gavi, in a statement, said, ‘Building on the momentum of this large global effort, its support will enable up to seven more countries to integrate the HPV vaccine into their national immunisation programmes in the coming months.’

“This week, large-scale campaigns in Sierra Leone and Liberia are expanding protection to girls up to 18 years old, reaching those who previously missed out and advancing the global effort to ensure equitable access to vaccines and eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat,” the statement added.