Mexico Expands HPV Immunization Campaign

Mexico’s 2025 National HPV Vaccination Campaign reports administering over 960,000 doses nationwide, according to the Minister of Health. The campaign is focusing on fifth-grade students, non-enrolled children aged 11, adolescents, and individuals living with HIV. David Kershenobich, Minister of Health, says that the initiative strengthens the country’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health issue.

This year, Mexico expanded its vaccination strategy to include boys for the first time, addressing prevention and equality goals. The campaign also targets adolescents who have experienced sexual violence and people between 11 and 49 years old living with HIV.

“We are using the vaccine that offers the broadest protection against the main HPV serotypes linked to cervical cancer and other cancers that affect men,” says Kershenobich. The vaccine covers nine high- and low-risk HPV types.

The campaign aligns with calls from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer through comprehensive immunization efforts. The WHO’s goal is to achieve 90% HPV vaccination coverage for girls by age 15 as part of its global strategy for eliminating cervical cancer. 

Although the goal has been to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the campaign’s progress. During the pandemic, attention was on SARS-CoV-2, leading to the neglect of other health issues. “The different strategies and interventions to reach the goals for 2030 were severely delayed,” says Maribel Almonte, Scientist on Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment, WHO

HPV is a group of over 200 related viruses, with high-risk strains such as HPV16 and HPV18 responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases worldwide, according to PAHO.  In Mexico, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. However, this type of cancer is easy to treat and has a high remission rate when detected early. Nonetheless, the National Cancer Institute (INCan) reports that most patients begin treatment at advanced stages, when survival rates drop significantly. Early detection and vaccination are central to national prevention efforts, reports MBN. 

“Cervical cancer is the most treatable form of cancer if it is detected early; there is no reason a woman should die from cervical cancer,”  says Teófilo Tijerina, CEO, Hera Diagnostics, to MBN.