Australia’s trusted immunisation experts
12 June 2026 | NewsAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Immunisation Leadership Committee meet to shape priorities for the year aheadRead the full article
Late in 2025, China made a major step towards reducing cervical cancer cases by including the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in its National Immunization Program – a move set to reshape disease prevention for millions of girls.
To share knowledge and experiences gained from Australia’s own HPV vaccination program, senior NCIRS staff visited Beijing in May supported by the Gates Foundation China Office.
Key participants in discussions included the Chinese Preventive Medical Association (CPMA), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), National Cancer Center of China, and China Academy of Medical Sciences.
Globally, HPV vaccination programs deliver some of the greatest health impacts per person vaccinated when measured by deaths or disability-adjusted life years.
However, although HPV vaccines have been available on the private market in China since 2016, only an estimated 4% of girls between 9 and 14 years of age were vaccinated in 2022.
To help address this, the Chinese Government introduced free HPV vaccination across 18 Chinese provinces between 2020 and 2025 as part of a pilot program, with reported first-dose coverage of targeted girls over 80% in some cities.
China has one of the world's largest cervical cancer burdens, so the introduction of HPV vaccination into the National Immunization Program could significantly improve women’s health outcomes across the country, potentially preventing thousands of cervical cancer cases each year.
China’s National Immunization Program uses domestically produced bivalent HPV vaccines. The vaccine is provided free to girls aged 13 years and older, with catch-up vaccination available until a girl is 18 years old.
Experts from the China CDC and the National Cancer Center of China provided an overview of HPV vaccination in China to the NCIRS delegation, including more information on:
In return, Professor Kristine Macartney, NCIRS Director, shared practical information about the evolution and implementation of HPV vaccination in Australia, including policy development and program design and delivery.
Professor Julia Brotherton, Principal Research Fellow at NCIRS, then spoke about HPV vaccination impact and effectiveness evaluation in Australia, drawing on linked data on vaccination, screening, and cancer registry over the past 2 decades.
The NCIRS delegation also included Dr Shu (Melinda) Chen, Senior Research Officer with the NCIRS Global Health team.
As part of their trip, the delegation saw first-hand how cervical cancer screening is delivered in busy clinical settings in China during a visit to Beijing Maternal and Children’s Hospital.
They also visited the Beijing Institute of Biological Products to understand more about how vaccines on the National Immunization Program are manufactured locally.
At the end of discussions, both teams reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing collaboration in immunisation, cancer prevention, and surveillance, recognising the important role of global partnerships in accelerating progress towards cervical cancer elimination.
NCIRS thanks the CPMA, China CDC, National Cancer Center of China, Beijing Maternal and Children’s Hospital and Beijing Institute of Biological Products for organising this visit, which provided our staff with a valuable opportunity to better understand China’s National Immunization Program.
