Post
Published on January 31, 2024
On November 22, 2023, Dahdaleh graduate scholar Eric Asempah addressed the urgent global health issue of preventing human papillomavirus infection (HPV) related cervical cancer through prophylactic vaccines in low and middle-income countries.
Cervical cancer claims 342,000 lives worldwide, with sub-Saharan Africa being a major hotspot. Asempah highlighted that 99% of cervical cancer cases are linked to persistent HPV infection, and over 70% are attributable to high-risk HPV (strains 16 and 18). Less than 25% of low-income countries have introduced HPV vaccines in their national vaccination programs, in contrast to 85% of high-income countries. Despite some HPV vaccination programs in sub-Saharan Africa, Asempah explained that at the current rate of progress, it would take approximately 30 years to cover the entire sub-Saharan region with vaccines. A notable contribution by Asempah is the Policy Choice Stability Estimator, a predictive tool he created to aid policymakers in decision-making by analyzing trends, predicting outcomes, provide evidence for justifying new policies, and assessing cost-effectiveness.
Asempah presented a rational approach to prophylactic vaccines in Canada, Rwanda, and Ghana, where all three nations have some form of national health insurance and are in agreement with the WHO's ideal of universal health coverage. Rwanda and Ghana are able to access HPV vaccines through Gavi-assisted programs, while Canadian provinces receive assistance from the federal government. Additionally, the WHO aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 through vaccination, screening, and treatment targets.
Lastly, Asempah proposed a roadmap for prioritizing HPV vaccination programs in low-income settings, suggesting regional collaboration strategies similar to COVAX to validate policymaker choices. He also highlighted the need for collaboration, since a significant number of researchers in HPV and cervical cancer do not reside in highly burdened regions.
Watch the seminar presentation below:
Connect with Eric Asempah
Themes | Global Health & Humanitarianism, Global Health Foresighting |
Status | Active |
Related Work |
N/A
|
Updates |
N/A
|
People |
You may also be interested in...
Reflecting on Black Educators and Education with Black History Month Panellists
Originally published by News@York (27 February 2024) “February is Black History Month, but we make history every day” –Ruth Rodney, associate director, Harriet Tubman Institute Education, particularly math education, is not a neutral space for Black students. It ...Read more about this Post
Reimagining AMR Governance for a World in Polycrisis
Earlier this month, Dahdaleh research fellow Raphael Aguiar attended the International Public Policy Conference (IPPC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he presented in the panel “The Governance of Urban Ecosystem/Human Health.” The panel was chaired by Evelyne de ...Read more about this Post
Spotlight: Global Health Intern Alum – Tiana Putric
Congratulations to Tiana Putric – a remarkable alum of the Dahdaleh Institute’s global health internship program! Tiana was a Dahdaleh Institute global health intern in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. While working with Jennie ...Read more about this Post