Australia’s trusted immunisation experts
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The 28th of August marked 20 years since the first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was administered in Queensland, a significant milestone for Australia’s public health community.
Since then, more than 800 million doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises the potential of HPV vaccination as one of three key pillars (along with cervical screening, treatment) to eliminate cervical cancer in the near future, with 194 countries, including Australia, committed to the WHO global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.
In 2007, Australia became the first country in the world to have a fully funded HPV vaccination program through the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for adolescent girls, which expanded in 2013 to include all adolescents. The 2025 national HPV surveillance and monitoring report published earlier this year revealed that HPV prevalence in Australia has declined by more than 90% among eligible populations since the implementation of the program.
While many are taking up this life-saving protection, recent NCIRS immunisation coverage data show that HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents has declined in the last 5 years. In 2025, 2 in 10 adolescents had not received a dose of HPV vaccine by their 15th birthday – a rate comparable that seen a decade ago. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents, 3 in 10 had not received an HPV vaccine dose by 15 years of age.
Associate Professor Frank Beard, Associate Director of Surveillance, Coverage, Evaluation and Social Science at NCIRS noted that the decline in adolescent vaccine coverage is concerning and urged those eligible to seek out catch up doses.
‘Our recent reports and studies show that we have taken several steps backwards and that a concerted effort is now required to boost HPV vaccination coverage to our target of at least 90 per cent of all adolescents aged 15 years by 2030,’ said Associate Professor Beard.
‘This is vital if we want to remain on track for elimination by 2035.
‘One way we can achieve this is by promoting catch-up vaccination for anyone who may have missed out on the vaccine at school. Catch-up HPV vaccination is free under the NIP for adolescents/young adults up to and including 25 years of age.’
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are also making significant progress towards adopting HPV vaccination programs. In 2025, around 65% of adolescent girls across 162 countries had access to HPV vaccines through national immunisation programs and services. Global coverage of the first dose of HPV vaccine in girls by age 15 years has increased steadily since 2021 and is now estimated at 33%.
A recently published scoping review identified several factors associated with successful program implementation across 84 LMICs, including school-based vaccination programs, strong community engagement, collaboration between health and education sectors and the adoption of simpler single-dose vaccination schedules.
The review also highlighted implementation challenges, including system and resource constraints, socio-cultural and knowledge barriers, vaccine hesitancy and persistent equity gaps.
The findings reinforce the importance of strong leadership, cross-sector collaboration, effective communication and ongoing investment in health system capacity. These factors will be critical as more countries introduce and expand HPV vaccination programs.
Papua New Guinea is preparing for the national introduction of HPV vaccination, expected to begin in September 2026. The program aims to vaccinate approximately 60,000 girls aged 9 to 14 years during the first phase of the national rollout.
The initiative is supported by NCIRS Global Health team members and other Australian and global partners including DFAT, WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Speaking about NCIRS Global Health partnerships in the region, NCIRS Director, Professor Kristine Macartney said, ‘Leveraging off a recent successful pilot program of HPV vaccination, screening and treatment in Papua New Guinea’s Western Highlands, contributed to by Australian colleagues, we all hope to build on the work started decades ago in Queensland to support our regional neighbours in implementing and strengthening their own national HPV vaccination programs.’
Similar work is occurring to support many other countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
While Australia’s achievements of the past two decades are significant, sustaining high vaccination coverage is essential to reaching national targets.
Continued global investment in HPV vaccination, cervical screening and treatment services, together with ongoing collaboration, will be critical to advance the goal of cervical cancer elimination worldwide.
‘Australia has been fortunate to benefit from the success of the HPV vaccine, but we must maintain momentum to make the elimination of cervical cancer a reality, both in Australia, our neighbouring countries and globally,’ concluded Professor Macartney.
