The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Academy are collaborating this World Immunization Week 2025 to make human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination learning resources available for free to health and care workers around the world.
The theme of this year's World Immunization Week is "Immunization for All is Humanly Possible" and encourages governments and health workers to support strong immunization programmes at local and national levels. Immunization has saved six lives every minute since 1974, and more lives can be saved by building on these achievements.
Often referred to as the silent killer and almost entirely preventable, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer, and cause of cancer-related deaths, in women globally, with the majority of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
The HPV vaccine protects women from cervical cancer through preventing infection with the human papillomavirus. Recent evidence from IARC shows that one-dose HPV vaccines have 80–90% effectiveness to decrease HPV infection and prevent cervical cancer and have demonstrated optimal strategies for cervical cancer screen-and-treat programmes for use in different settings. Despite this strong evidence, only 15% of girls worldwide are fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 years.
The work to create a dedicated IARC learning space on the whoacademy.org platform that includes HPV vaccination self-paced courses began in 2024, and ensures learners can benefit from courses and material based on the latest evidence, created and validated by international experts through IARC and partners. The platform is designed for inclusion and accessibility, and adapts to the learner's profile and context, such as preferred language or educational background. Features like offline mode, progress updates and mobile optimization ensure a smooth learning experience and address connectivity challenges.
