Promoting HPV Vaccination in Diverse Populations

Dear Colleagues,

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a well-established cause of cancer among women and men. HPV is responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common type of cancer among women worldwide. It is estimated that 1 in every 100 women in developing countries will have cervical cancer before the age of 75. HPV infection also underlies a significant proportion of penile, anal, and head and neck cancers among men.

Primary prevention of HPV-related cancer is dependent on HPV vaccination of girls aged 9 to 15, and older adolescents and young adults up to the age of 26. A key goal of the 2020 Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer is the complete vaccination against HPV of 90% of girls between the ages of 9 and 15 by the year 2030, as young girls are the primary target population of HPV vaccine programs worldwide. However, we are not on track to meet these goals. Only 60% of WHO member states have introduced the HPV vaccine, with a majority of these countries being located in the Americas and Europe. Furthermore, global HPV vaccination efforts have been reduced as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, improving HPV vaccination coverage in a variety of at-risk populations is a critical public health initiative for this goal.

This Special Issue seeks original research articles and reviews on HPV vaccination coverage and programs in diverse populations. We welcome research focused on groups underrepresented in HPV vaccine research including racial/ethnic minorities, adolescent males, sexual/gender minorities, vulnerable populations, and low- and middle-income countries. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Vaccine coverage in underrepresented populations;
• HPV vaccination knowledge and awareness;
• Multilevel facilitators and/or challenges to HPV vaccination and programs;
• Impact of public health policy on HPV vaccination and programs;
• Implementation and evaluation of HPV vaccination programs;
• Cultural adaptations of evidence-based strategies to promote HPV vaccination;
• Interventions and programs supporting HPV vaccine acceptance.

Prof. Dr. Celia Fisher
Guest Editor

Dr. Aaliyah Gray
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• HPV vaccination
• HPV prevention
• vaccine uptake
• HPV vaccine programs
• evidence-based interventions
• implementation science
• health disparities