024 HPV vaccination, from good… to great… to excellent

ABSTRACT

I am truly honored to be invited to present during the lecture named after Prof. Lazlo von Dobszay, who was a remarkable Hungarian PAG Pioneer. This lecture will highlight the HPV vaccination path, where it comes from (from Good), where it stands today (to Great) and what it can expect in the years to come (to Excellent) HPV is a virus we can all beat, if we want to and if we put in the necessary effort. Yes, we can, … but unfortunately on our way we have encountered a game changer the COVID pandemic. As a result of this roadblock, there is a worldwide HPV Coverage Gap. This worldwide crisis will affect health care for many years. Now we have to be fast and effective to get the HPV coverage back on track. Only then can we achieve the goal to fully vaccinate 80% of the adolescents, in order to obtain a herd immunity. Infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) constitute an important source of morbidity and mortality worldwide in people of all ages and genders. The HPV induced cancers show a remarkable trend with e.g. a greater incidence of head and neck cancers as compared to cervical cancers Gender neutral protection against HPV-related diseases is our moral duty. The success of that protection heavily depends on the timing of vaccination, especially before and even after unplanned exposure. Child sexual abuse requires even faster HPV action, the sooner the better. Unfortunately, HPV vaccine supplies are currently insufficient to meet the demand and some countries have already postponed its administration. Running out of vaccines is a reality, increases in supplies are imperative Recent research focuses on the non-inferiority of one versus two doses of the vaccine. If one-dose HPV vaccination became viable, some of the significant barriers to scaling-up and sustaining Low Income Countries/Low- and Middle Income Countries may be overcome. The limitations of preventive vaccines justify continuous innovation and adaptation of vaccination strategies.