World Immunization Week – celebrated every year in the last week of April – aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world's most successful health interventions. While the world focuses on critically important new vaccines to protect against COVID-19, there remains a need to ensure routine vaccinations are not missed. There are numerous diseases, such as cervical cancer, that can be prevented with readily available vaccines, yet are not accessible in many low-and middle-income countries.
Investment in new research is enabling novel approaches to vaccine development and immunization programs. Dr. Gina Ogilvie, winner of the 2021 UBC Killam research prize in applied science, medicine, and sciences, and Canada Research Chair in Global Control of HPV-Related Disease and Cancer, focuses much of her research on HPV screening and the HPV vaccine. She is the principal investigator for the ASPIRE program (Advances in Screening and Prevention in Reproductive Cancers) which has expanded to include primary prevention of HPV through vaccination in British Columbia and South Africa. Dr. Ogilvie is also the leader of QUEST (Quadrivalent HPV Vaccine Evaluation Study), a Canada-wide study designed to evaluate the efficacy of 2 doses of the HPV vaccine versus the current standard of 3 doses.
In most high-income countries, the HPV vaccine is readily available. However, in low-and middle-income countries, the vaccination program has stagnated due to cost and resource challenges. Global efforts such as Gavi are working to close the gap. Gavi is a global Vaccine Alliance with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world's poorest countries. Since its inception in 2012, Gavi's HPV program has vaccinated 3.9 million girls, and the demand for the HPV vaccine is growing. 27 countries approved for Gavi support including Malawi, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Historically, the high cost of the vaccine and challenges with delivering immunizations have caused barriers in low-income countries. Gavi is working to bridge the equity gap by providing the HPV vaccine at sustainable prices, as little as $4.50 USD per dose. With research being conducted into the efficacy of a 2-dose HPV vaccine, as Dr. Ogilvie is leading with QUEST, even greater levels of sustainability and accessibility could be reached.
As research and innovation around vaccines advance, we move closer to a world free from preventable diseases like cervical cancer. Efforts from those such as Dr. Ogilvie and Gavi work towards an equitable future, removing barriers to access and improving the health and wellbeing of everyone, everywhere throughout life.
