HPV vaccine introduction in the Americas: a decade of progress and lessons learned

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important public health concern due to its causative role in many cancers, especially cervical cancer, and other conditions that lead to serious health consequences in both men and women. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 60,000 new cases of cervical cancer and another 7,000 HPV-associated cancers are diagnosed annually.

Areas covered

HPV vaccination combined with comprehensive cervical cancer control programmingis paving the way for eliminating cervical cancer as a major public health problem and drastically reducing other HPV-associated diseases. To date, 44 countries and territories in the Americas have introduced HPV vaccines as part of their national immunization programs and cervical cancer control strategies. Early lessons from HPV vaccine introduction suggest that transparent and credible evidence-based decision-making, information, education and communication about HPV and cervical cancer, coordination with existing cervical cancer control initiatives, and precise planning for ensuring effective uptake of the vaccine in target groups are all critical elements of success.

Expert opinion

There is an urgent need for strategies to increase HPV vaccine coverage, and as the integrated control programs evolve and other HPV-associated disease becomes important for public health, there will be a need for continued program and policy evaluation.

KEYWORDS:

• HPV vaccination
• cervical cancer
• immunization
• Latin America
• Caribbean

Article highlights

• Since 2006, 44 countries in the Americas have adopted the HPV vaccine as an important component to programs for the prevention and control of cervical cancer

• Substantial experience piloting and evaluating HPV vaccine delivery strategies suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all in the region

• Several obstacles remain to improving HPV vaccination coverage among girls in the Americas

• However, there is high-level commitment throughout the region to prioritize equitable access to HPV vaccines and motivate demand in order to reach the 2030 cervical cancer elimination goals

• Throughout the past decade or more, countries and territories in the region have accumulated important lessons learned to inform programmatic decisions and policies in the region and elsewhere going forward

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or material discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or mending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Disclaimer

The authors LHO and SL are staff member of the Pan American Health Organization. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of the Pan American Health Organization

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.