UNICEF Supplies 52 Countries with HPV Vaccines

UNICEF recently announced it would supply 52 countries with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. In 2023 alone, UNICEF will provide one in four countries worldwide with this life-saving vaccine.

And seven countries, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Eswatini, Kiribati, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Togo, intend to introduce HPV vaccines to their routine immunization programs in 2023. 

On April 28, 2023, UNICEF confirmed just one in eight girls are vaccinated against HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer.

And since 2019, HPV vaccination coverage has decreased by 15%, representing one of the largest backslides of any vaccine during the pandemic.

Oluwaseun Ayanniyi, a Contracts Specialist in the Vaccine Centre of UNICEF’s Supply Division in Copenhagen, commented that she is optimistic that significant ground can be regained to prevent cervical cancer.

HPV vaccination can help prevent certain cancers for boys and girls, says the U.S. CDC. These vaccines are generally available at health clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

As of May 8, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved various vaccines that can prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases such as Mpox.