Making a Difference: Advocating for HPV Policy Change - A Practical Guide
25.04.2024
HPV has in the last few years become one of the most significant issues in European cancer policy. Effective vaccination and screening programmes are now widely recognised to offer the possibility of eliminating the tens of thousands of cancers caused by HPV each year in men and women across Europe. In many countries, however, progress is too slow and too many lives are being lost unnecessarily. Advocacy can help to put that right. Organisations and individuals can work together to put effective pressure on decision-makers, cut through the inertia and create the cancer prevention services of the type and scale that are urgently needed across the region. This guide is based on the experience of many of them. It distils the lessons learned into eight essential ingredients for advocacy success.
DownloadEuropean Commission publishes proposal for a Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers
31.01.2024
On 31 January 2024, the European Commission published the text of a proposed Council of the EU Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers. The purpose of the Recommendation is to assist EU Member States in working together to address cancer risks associated with Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. HPV infection may cause cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancers and HBV infection may cause liver cancer.
Visit websiteGendered aspects of sexual and reproductive health
13.12.2023
This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), contributes to assessing the state of sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights in the EU. It assesses the regulatory and policy frameworks that ensure access to affordable and quality reproductive care services in the Member States and the support provided by the EU.
Visit websiteNew publication benchmarks European government policies regarding access to HPV prevention policies in 2023
22.06.2023
The 2nd edition of the HPV Prevention Policy Atlas was launched at the Romanian Parliament on 22 June 2023. The Atlas reveals a very uneven picture across the European region.
Visit websitePutting HPV on the Map: The State of HPV Prevention Programmes in the WHO European Region
27.04.2022
There is plenty of work to do to achieve the elimination of all cancers caused by HPV as a public health problem. But, armed with the vital information contained in this report, we will now do what we can to accelerate action at the regional level and also to support advocacy efforts by HPV organisations within individual countries to help ensure that all health systems take the action that is needed to protect their populations effectively. If all countries in the region emulated the current best-performers, almost 100,000 cancer cases a year could be prevented. That would be a remarkable achievement and a world-leading example for other regions to follow.
Visit websiteImproving HPV Vaccine Uptake in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: An Umbrella Review of Interventions
25.04.2022
HPV causes about 5% of all cancers worldwide. The most common of these cancers is cervical but the virus is also implicated in cancers of the vagina, vulva, anus, penis, head and neck. A significant proportion of the cancers caused by HPV in Europe are in men. Compared to many other cancer prevention strategies – such as tobacco control, reducing alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity or tackling obesity – HPV vaccination is easy to deliver, has an immediate positive health impact and is highly efficacious. In fact, it is probably the single most effective means of cancer prevention in the medical arsenal. We therefore encourage HPV vaccination programmes in Europe and beyond to make the best possible use of this evidence. If we can achieve a 90% vaccination rate across Europe, we know we will succeed in eliminating HPV cancers as a public health problem in the region.
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