Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world. Most infections clear on their own. But when they persist, they can cause cells to change, progress to precancer, and eventually develop into cervical cancer. More than 93% of cervical cancers are attributable to HPV.
That link is what makes cervical cancer unusual among cancers: its primary cause is a virus, and a vaccine against that virus has existed for nearly two decades.
The tools to prevent cervical cancer are not new. What is missing is reach.
HPV infection, precancer and cancer form a continuum that unfolds over decades. At each stage, there is a window to intervene: vaccines before infection, screening before cancer develops, treatment before it is too late.
This is the story behind a WHO data product I co-led: the HPV Data Pack for the WHO African Region. It assembles vaccination, incidence, screening and treatment data across 47 Member States into a single view of where the region stands and where the gaps remain.
Africa carries a disproportionate burden
The incidence rate in the WHO African Region is roughly three times the global average. Only three countries in the region, Algeria, Niger and Mauritius, fall below the global baseline of 14 per 100,000.
The burden is not evenly distributed. Eastern and Southern Africa are the hotspots, with several countries exceeding 50 new cases per 100,000 women each year. And in most African countries, mortality nearly equals incidence. A diagnosis is, for many women, a death sentence.
Momentum is building, unevenly
The pace of introduction has accelerated sharply. Rwanda was the sole early adopter. After WHO's 2018 call for cervical cancer elimination and the 2020 global strategy, introductions surged. By April 2026, 36 of 47 Member States had introduced the HPV vaccine.
But introduction is not coverage. Some countries that introduced early still have coverage below 50%. Others reached 99% within a few years. The question is not just who has started, but who is reaching girls at scale.
The map tells the real story
The interactive map above brings together the key dimensions of the story. The default view, a bivariate map of vaccine coverage against incidence, reveals the central tension: many of the countries with the highest cervical cancer burden have the lowest vaccine coverage.
Switch to the coverage view: Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde lead at 99%. But large parts of the continent remain red.
Switch to delivery strategy: most countries use school-based delivery, which aligns with WHO guidance. Switch to dosing: the single-dose schedule, endorsed by WHO in 2022, now dominates, reducing cost and complexity.
Eleven countries have not yet introduced the vaccine. Seven introduced in 2025 or 2026, with coverage data still pending. The grey areas on the map are where the urgency is greatest.
A gap that demands more than vaccines
Vaccination is the first line of defence, but it is not the only one. The WHO's 90-70-90 targets call for 90% of girls vaccinated by age 15, 70% of women screened by ages 35 and 45, and 90% of women with pre-cancer or cancer treated.
Screening and treatment capacity remain thin. Only 28 of 47 countries have external beam radiotherapy. Only 17 have brachytherapy, without which cure rates for advanced cervical cancer drop significantly.
The data are clear: the countries with the highest burden are often the same ones with the weakest health systems. Closing the gap requires not just more vaccines, but more screening, more treatment, and better data to track all three.
About the data
This analysis draws on the WHO HPV Data Pack for the African Region (last updated May 2026). Cervical cancer incidence estimates come from GLOBOCAN 2022 (IARC). HPV vaccine coverage uses WUENIC 2024 estimates. Introduction status, delivery strategy and dosing schedule data come from the WHO HPV Clearing House (end of April 2026). Radiotherapy and brachytherapy capacity data come from DIRAC 2026. Age-standardized rates use the world standard population to allow fair comparison across countries with different age structures.
→ Read the full WHO HPV Data Pack
Acknowledgements
I co-led the development of this data product with Sarah Kada, under the supervision of Arish Bukhari, and under the leadership of Dr Akpaka Kalu and Dr Benido Impouma in the Disease Prevention and Control Cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa. Nosheen Safdar served as HPV Officer and the main regional focal point. Terence Totah led the cervical cancer data review.