Nigeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Togo and Zambia will receive support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in the next 12 months, to reach millions of adolescent girls with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, for protection against cervical cancer.

Gavi and partners, yesterday, said they have committed to reach 86 million adolescent girls with the HPV vaccine by 2025, outlining an action plan following the Gavi Board’s approval of revitalisation of the HPV programme.

Gavi said it would also continue to work with countries that have already introduced the vaccine to help improve coverage.

HPV causes more than 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases worldwide and is the most common cause of female cancer death in nearly half of sub-Saharan African countries.

Over the course of the next three years, the Vaccine Alliance – which includes country governments, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, civil society and other key partners – will work with low- and middle-income countries to help more adolescent girls access the life-saving vaccine.

According to Gavi, this revitalisation push will be on three fronts. Introductions: providing new funding and assistance to introduce the HPV vaccine into routine immunisation schedules.

Catch up and strengthen: implementing multi-age cohort (MAC) vaccination to rapidly catch up and improve coverage. Integration: promoting sustainability through integration of HPV vaccination into routine immunisation and primary health care.

Gavi will also offer support to countries to optimise the 2022 WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) one-dose recommendation, which now enables countries to opt for a single-dose schedule for the HPV vaccine. Country-led decision making to adopt and implement the new guidelines, as per country choice, will be critical.