PATH's Cervical Cancer Prevention Action Planner

Case study: HPV vaccination in Africa

Lessons learned from a pilot program in Uganda

In 2006, PATH initiated the HPV Vaccines: Evidence for Impact project in order to generate evidence to help policymakers and planners worldwide make informed decisions regarding regional and national vaccine-introduction efforts and international financing for improved cervical cancer prevention. Uganda is one of the countries chosen by PATH as a site for the HPV Vaccines project, along with India, Peru, and Vietnam.

In Uganda, cervical cancer accounts for 40 percent of all cancers recorded by the cancer registry, and over 80 percent of women with cervical cancer are diagnosed with advanced disease. Through a demonstration project conducted in 2008–2009 in selected districts, HPV vaccine was made available to more than 10,000 girls. The Uganda project was implemented by the Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) of the Ministry of Health with technical support from PATH, and operations research was conducted by the Child Health and Development Centre (CHDC) and PATH.

The data resulting from the project provide critical evidence to the government of Uganda about when and how best to introduce cervical cancer vaccine nationwide. The experience of Uganda is and will be helpful to neighboring countries and other countries in the African region. The report linked below interprets the results and summarizes helpful lessons for policymakers and program managers, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, looking to shape their own HPV vaccination programs.

Lessons learned report

The publication "HPV Vaccination in Africa" summarizes helpful lessons for policymakers and program managers looking to design their own HPV vaccination programs.