Improving HPV Vaccination Coverage: Current Issues, Future Prospects and Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, cervical cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer and fourth leading cause of cancer death in women. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Human papillomavirus (HPV) is considered carcinogenic to humans, particularly for cervix uteri.

The first HPV vaccine was approved in 2006, and the latest data show a significant overall reduction in cervical cancer incidence in the cohort of vaccinated adolescents worldwide. Countries are reporting a 65–97% reduction in the occurrence of cervical cancer in the population of vaccinated women.

But disparities in cervical cancer burden will likely widen with differences in HPV vaccination coverage. According to the latest WHO data, globally in 2022 the HPV vaccination program coverage in females was 21% with the first dose and 15% with the last dose, while in males the coverage was 6% and 5%, respectively, with coverage varying more than 20-fold between WHO regions. In response to this, WHO updated recommendations for the HPV vaccination schedule.

Improving HPV vaccination coverage is essential in reducing the burden of HPV-related cancers and health inequities. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted HPV vaccination worldwide. This Special Issue is focused on current issues, future prospects and strategies aimed at improving HPV vaccination coverage.

Dr. Irena Ilic
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.