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HPV Prevention Under Strain in South America as Argentina’s Coverage Halves and Peru Lacks 2026 Plan

Civil society urges Peru’s health ministry to publish a vaccination roadmap and adopt the nonavalent shot as new evidence and tools reshape care for persistent infections.

Overview

  • Argentina’s HPV vaccination coverage has fallen from roughly 80% in 2015 to about 50% by 2024–2025, with experts citing communication and delivery gaps rather than widespread vaccine refusal.
  • In Peru, advocates warn the Health Ministry has not approved the 2026 National HPV Vaccination Plan, leaving an operational vacuum and a documented gap of more than 1.6 million unvaccinated 10–18 year‑olds.
  • Calls in Peru include a clear timeline to incorporate the nonavalent vaccine and to expand coverage to priority groups defined by law, emphasizing planning to sustain recent gains.
  • An international awareness campaign—“What do you do when you don’t know what to do?”—launched on March 4 with ESGO and SEGO backing, aligning with new clinical data on managing persistent infections.
  • PALOMA 2 reported higher viral clearance with Papilocare (88% vs 53% at six months), and Argentine hospitals report scaling improved screening with automated HPV genotyping and self‑sampling, processing 3,900 tests with 23% positivity since late 2023.