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The award was presented by Sally Cowal, Senior Vice President for Global Health, American Cancer Society, to Lori Sloate, Gavi’s Deputy Director of Advocacy & Public Policy.
Credit: Chloe Hall Photography.
London, 4 November 2015 - Leading global health organisations have recognised Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for its contribution to protecting millions of girls against cervical cancer by ensuring human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is affordable and accessible to the countries that need it most.
Gavi received the award at this week’s Investing in Cervical Cancer Prevention 2015–2020: Saving lives now conference in London. The Governing Council of Cervical Cancer Action, which hosted the conference, described Gavi’s achievements with HPV vaccines as a “sea change” in the fight against cervical cancer.
Since 2013, Gavi has helped countries vaccinate 500,000 girls with HPV vaccine, and plans to reach 1 million by the end of 2015. Thanks to a collaborative effort of Gavi partners, a record-low price for the vaccine was negotiated in 2013 for Gavi-supported countries. This was a game-changer as Gavi was able to open a funding window for countries to apply for support.
“It’s an honour for Gavi to receive this award from the global cancer community,” said Anuradha Gupta, Deputy CEO of Gavi. “Cervical cancer is a scourge for women in developing countries, many of whom lack access to screening and treatment. Vaccines have a vital role to play in preventing cervical cancer and we are working to ensure that 30 million girls in 40 countries have access to HPV vaccines by 2020.”