A new publication in Vaccine: X discusses the barriers to human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa, lessons learned from sub-Saharan African countries that have implemented national HPV vaccination programs, and the future of HPV vaccination, based on a narrative review. The rollout of HPV vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa was found to be faced with several challenges, such as the high cost of vaccine procurement, a lack of funding and political will from the central governments of countries, and inadequate infrastructure for vaccine cold chain storage and transport. Stigma, misinformation, lack of education and awareness, and vaccine hesitancy constitute the social factors that affect the successful rollout or implementation of vaccination programs in the region.
Based on the challenges sub-Saharan African countries face in rolling out HPV vaccination, authors recommend using strategies that address both the demand-side and supply-side obstacles to HPV vaccination uptake. These include costs and availability such as providing vaccines to adolescent girls for free or at a low cost and embedding school-based programs into existing healthcare facility programs to reduce cost and logistic challenges, as well as fighting vaccine hesitancy, and increasing vaccine confidence.
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