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23 September 2026 | NewsA generation protected: how HPV vaccination could change the future for girls in Papua New GuineaRead the full article
Trained health workers administer the first HPV vaccine doses to eligible girls aged 9 to 14 years from New Erima Primary School in Port Moresby during the national launch of Papua New Guinea’s HPV vaccination program on 8 September 2026.
On 8 September 2026, Papua New Guinea (PNG) took a historic step to protect the health of future generations, announcing that it will begin the rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls aged 9 to 14 years as part of its national immunisation program.
Persistent infection with high-risk HPV causes almost all cervical cancers – and in PNG, cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related illness and death. More than 1,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in PNG, and around 650 lose their lives to the disease.
By providing HPV vaccination as part of the national immunisation program, more PNG girls than ever before will have the opportunity to receive a single HPV vaccine dose, protecting them from the main cancer-causing strains of the virus before they are exposed to it.
PNG joins a growing global effort to eliminating cervical cancer, with more than 162 countries introducing HPV vaccination programs since 2006, when the first dose of HPV was delivered in Australia.
With support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, 95 million girls have been protected in lower- and middle-income countries alone, helping to avert an estimated 1.9 million future deaths from cervical cancer.
In PNG, the first phase of the program is expected to reach approximately 60,000 girls in the National Capital District and Central Provinces. It will then be gradually expanded out to other areas.
Delivery through schools, health facilities and community outreach will help ensure that protection reaches girls wherever they are, including those who are not attending school or who live in harder-to-reach communities.
Equitable access is critical in a country where geography and limited access to health services can create significant barriers to care.
The impact of HPV vaccination for one girl extends beyond the individual, helping to strengthen families, communities and ultimately the future prosperity of the nation. Investing in HPV vaccination today is an investment in the next generation of PNG women and their communities.
Although vaccination is one of the most significant tools available to prevent and ultimately eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, it is only one part of the solution.
Because the vaccine targets the main strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer but not all strains, cervical cancer screening remains essential for women. Cervical cancer can also be cured if diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
When combined, vaccination, screening and treatment have significantly reduced cervical cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries and form the foundation of global efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.
For PNG, the planned nationwide introduction of HPV vaccination creates an opportunity to strengthen the full continuum of cervical cancer prevention and care, ensuring that today’s girls are protected while women have access to screening and treatment services.
As part of the vaccine rollout, NCIRS will contribute to the training of health workers, monitoring of vaccine safety and planning around the logistics.
This work will build on the successful roll out of a landmark provincial HPV vaccination initiative in the Western Highlands Province, led by the Western Highlands Provincial Health Authority with support from the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in the Western Pacific (ECCWP) and Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer (EPICC) programs.
Although the inclusion of the HPV vaccine on PNG’s national immunisation program is a moment to celebrate, its true success will be measured by the number of girls reached in the coming months and years.
Parents, caregivers, teachers, health workers, churches and community leaders across PNG all have an important role to play in ensuring girls receive accurate information and can access vaccination when services become available in their communities.
The introduction of HPV vaccine is more than the addition of a new vaccine to the national immunisation program. It is a commitment to a future where fewer women develop cervical cancer, fewer families experience the loss of mothers, daughters and sisters to a vaccine preventable disease, and more girls can look forward to healthy and productive lives. For PNG, that future begins now.
The inclusion of the HPV vaccine on the PNG national immunisation program reflects the collaborative efforts of the PNG National Department of Health, the National Department of Education, Provincial Health Authorities, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Australian Government. Funding will be delivered through the Australian Government Regional Immunisation and Strengthening (RISE-2) program and in collaboration with EPICC, which is funded by the Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation.
Papua New Guinea launches HPV vaccination to protect girls from cervical cancer – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Papua New Guinea launches HPV vaccination to protect girls from cervical cancer – UNICEF PNG
