Green light from Gavi for cervical cancer vaccine

Great news that Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), revelling in the windfall it received at its funding conference in London earlier this year ($4.3bn, which is $600m more than it asked for), has announced it will tentatively "open a window" for the funding of the cervical cancer vaccine.

Cervical cancer causes about 275,000 deaths on the developing world every year. It is far more devastating in poor countries than in Europe and the US, where the vaccine has already been introduced for schoolgirls, because – unlike us – they do not have screening programmes, let alone good treatment. So 88% of deaths occur in developing countries. That could rise to 430,000 by 2030 if nothing is done, says Gavi.

This won't be easy. The vaccine – against human papillomavirus (HPV) which triggers the cancer – is given in schools in the UK, but 11 and 12-year-old girls are not necessarily always in school in poor countries. And it's not just one dose but three – although some of the research suggests two shots may be enough.

But this matters, as UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon made clear this week, calling on Gavi, the pharmaceutical industry and others to "deliver the promise of a future free from the threat of cervical cancer to millions of young women...

"Investing in their health and their future is the best investment we can make."

Gavi also plans to make funds available for a rubella vaccine, in a combined jab with measles – but there are apparently no plans to fund the MMR, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.