Call to Action

We believe there should be a new global goal of gender-neutral HPV vaccination in every country by 2030.

We have the means to protect everyone — whatever their sex or gender — from high-risk HPV infections and the cancers they cause. To achieve this, a more ambitious, ethical and equitable approach to HPV vaccination is needed at the global and national levels.
Global Action on Men’s Health, NOMAN is an Island: Race to End HPV and the supporters of this Call are seeking the worldwide adoption of gender-neutral (ie. universal) vaccination (GNV) by 2030 with a 90% uptake goal.
We urge global public health organisations to prioritise the elimination of all the cancers caused by HPV. Every young person should be considered a primary target for vaccination by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other key health organisations including Gavi, The Vaccines Alliance.
From an epidemiological perspective, when both males and females are at risk of HPV, it is illogical to immunise girls alone. Only GNV can achieve the elimination of the vaccine-related high-risk HPV types and prevent the cervical and other cancers they cause.
About 1 in 5 men has a current high-risk HPV infection. A conservative estimate of the number of new HPV cancer cases in men globally is 180,000 annually, with the actual number quite plausibly much higher.
Despite the burden of HPV-related cancers in men, there are no established routine screening programmes for these cancers leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
GNV increases the resilience of vaccination programmes, helping to protect against crises in vaccine confidence or disruption caused by pandemics, natural disasters or conflict.
Vaccinating both boys and girls de-feminises and de-stigmatizes immunisation programmes. GNV shares the responsibility for cancer prevention more equitably between the sexes.
WHO’s recent recommendation of the option of single-dose vaccination programmes, combined with increasing vaccine supply, makes GNV feasible on a global basis.