IVAC and partners launch statement to raise awareness about single-dose HPV vaccination
Published
In December 2022, the World Health Organization endorsed a single-dose schedule for HPV vaccination for the primary target age group (9-14 years-old). Since then, additional data continue to build the evidence base in support of its use.
As global leaders gather at the World Health Assembly to assess progress and chart priorities, IVAC has joined other global partners in signing onto a statement to raise awareness about the potential impact of a single-dose HPV vaccine schedule. As the world rallies to recover from disruptions to immunization coverage due to COVID-19 and other global crises, WHO’s endorsement represents a critical opportunity reach more girls and protect more women against cervical cancer.
IVAC collaborates with several global partners across multiple projects to strengthen HPV vaccination efforts. Active projects with an HPV focus or HPV component include:
- Coalition to Strengthen the HPV Immunization Community (CHIC) serves to unite the efforts and resources of IVAC with three partnering organizations – Jhpiego, the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination at the University of Antwerp, and the Vaccine Confidence Project (VCP) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Together, CHIC aims to build and support optimized local programs, guide rapid country adoption of revisions in schedule recommendations, and accelerate HPV vaccine introduction. The overarching goal is efficient translation of implementation research findings to guide practice and more equitable access to immunization ideally within the context of a stable HPV vaccine market.
- The HPV Vaccine Acceleration Program Partners Initiative (HAPPI) Consortium combines expertise in policy, access, introduction, implementation, and evaluation and learning to accelerate uptake of HPV vaccines, and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. HAPPI aims to increase and sustain equity, program quality, and accelerate coverage of HPV vaccination among girls and adolescents in order to contribute to the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, goal of 84M girls and adolescents vaccinated by 2025, and the global goal of 90% HPV coverage by 2030.
- Choice Optimization for Immunization: Country Exercises in Sustainability (CHOICES): In partnership with JSI Research and Training Institute, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CHOICES aims to empower, equip, and support country immunization programs to develop and implement optimized, comprehensive communicable disease prevention and control programs, and to equip global partners with evidence-based resources, guidance, and frameworks to support countries in strengthening decision-making and sustainability.
- Social Media Research on Vaccine Hesitancy: IVAC is collaborating with the Sabin Vaccine Institute to define a research agenda, develop implementation guidelines for low- and middle-income countries to address vaccine hesitancy through social media, and define a set of metrics for evaluation of potential intervention platforms.
- The Value of Immunization Compendium of Evidence (VoICE) is a searchable database intended to support immunization, child health and global health advocates by synthesizing evidence about the broader value of vaccines. VoICE contains more than 450 key ideas, data summaries and sources, as well as cross-cutting features highlighting specific topics such as HPV.
- Vaccine Economics Research for Sustainability & Equity (VERSE): the VERSE team conducts research on the economic value of vaccine investments in low- and middle-income countries, allowing advocates with rigorous evidence to demonstrate the impact of vaccines in terms that are comparable with other sectors. The project also aims to provide a better understanding of how access, coverage, and other inequities may impede the value of immunizations.
- Vaccine Information and Epidemiology Window (VIEW-hub) collates data on vaccine introduction, product and dosing schedules, coverage, vaccine impact studies, and disease burdens and packages it into presentation-ready visuals. This tool is designed for global, regional, and national stakeholders from the global health community, including partners, civil society organizations, academia, industry, governments, and donor institutions.