September 26, 2022 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Following CHIC Symposium
Hosted by CHIC HPV Council & Secretariat
Cervical cancer is the leading cancer affecting women in Sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated 117,000 new cases occurring in 2020, and close to 80,000 deaths. It is expected that these numbers will continue to rise over the coming years. Despite the potential for the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine to save many women’s lives, less than 20% of girls who are eligible for vaccination in 2020 were vaccinated in the African Region. On Monday, 26 September 2022, the Coalition to Strengthen the HPV Immunization Community (CHIC) is bringing together close to 50 decision makers, program managers, and experts from 13 countries, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to look into ways for activating local progress in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the African Region. Workshop participants will reflect on advocacy approaches and components needed to advocate for needed policy changes in their respective countries to address barriers to primary cervical cancer prevention.
The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants into a supportive community of practice, and to equip them with the necessary knowledge to activate local progress in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the African Region, which accounts for the greatest burden globally. Across the world, 1 in 4 deaths of women is due to cervical cancer.
As such, at the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand the current HPV Vaccination landscape and resources
- Understand key concepts and basic steps required to develop and deliver an effective advocacy message and to measure its impact
- Apply the learnings from the symposium and workshop for cross-country learning on good practice in HPV vaccine service delivery, demand generation, program efficiency, and policy innovations (these can be refined and strengthened with CHIC support after the workshop)