PATH's Cervical Cancer Prevention Action Planner

Financing and cost-effectiveness

Financing and cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention

Costs for delivering the HPV vaccine probably will be greater than those for existing infant vaccination programs. Financing for health care in developing countries is already limited; therefore, financing for HPV vaccine and pre-cancer screening and treatment programs will require sustained, strong advocacy efforts and innovative strategies.^39,69

Program costs

The price of the vaccine itself is not the only cost—there are programmatic costs as well—and this is equally true for screening programs. Most adolescents and older women do not routinely participate in health care to the same extent as younger children and infants, and new strategies must be developed to reach both of these groups.

The cost-effectiveness of vaccination and screening programs in developing countries will be influenced by the cost of instituting programs for widespread coverage of the target populations; the duration of protection the vaccine provides; and the degree of participation in the programs.^70-74 An important component in the cost-effectiveness of prevention will be eventual savings in treatment of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases. A number of studies have been published that use computer models to estimate the cost-effectiveness of various combinations of HPV vaccination of girls and screening and treatment of adult women, including for developing-world countries such as Brazil, India, and Vietnam.^75-78

Photo: PATH/David Jacobs

Key resources

Cost-Effectiveness, Affordability, and Financing of Cervical Cancer Prevention video and transcript

Advocacy, policy, and financing (RHO Cervical Cancer website)

HPV Vaccine Adoption in Developing Countries: Cost and Financing Issues (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and PATH)

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