Human papillomavirus vaccine policy and delivery in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major preventable public health problem. Two vaccines are now available for primary prevention of HPV infection and their introduction offers new opportunities to enhance comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control. Currently, HPV vaccine price is a significant barrier to rapid vaccine introduction and access. Therefore, making evidence-based decisions about whether and how to introduce HPV vaccine into the immunization schedule in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) requires a rigorous analysis of several factors. These include: estimates of disease burden, cost-effectiveness, operational feasibility of reaching a population of adolescent females and other key analyses that have been used in recent years to support the introduction of other vaccines, such as rotavirus and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Given the large number of public health priorities that are competing for limited public resources, developing and using a sound evidence base is of particular importance for vaccines, like HPV, which are currently available only at prices higher than other vaccines now in use. HPV vaccination provides the opportunity to dramatically improve women's health and partnerships must also be broad-based and effectively coordinated. This can be achieved by developing programs based on the lessons learned from vaccination strategies used to eliminate rubella and neonatal tetanus and for scaling up influenza vaccination in countries of LAC.