Through our mission to prevent 5% of cancers worldwide, we are priveliged to liaise and collaborate with thought leaders in the world of HPV prevention, and gain access to the leading academics within this field.
One such example is the HPV Prevention and Control Board, a dynamic multi-disciplinary board of prominent experts.
The HPV Prevention and Control Board aims at being a main catalyst to multiply and disseminate relevant information on HPV to a broad array of stakeholders. By providing evidence based guidance on key technical and strategic issues, and by monitoring the progress of HPV control programs at the country and regional levels, the HPV Board contributes to the control of human papillomavirus infection and prevention of HPV related cancer.
The HPV Prevention and Control Board is composed of a group of experts, Board Advisers, who set the strategy and define the actions. The advisers are internationally recognised experts in the fields of HPV, HPV related cancer, public health, and vaccinology. They are able to offer high quality information and expert opinions to the target audiences of opinion leaders, policymakers, and health care professionals. They are professionally highly active in their fields of expertise, and ensures that the HPV Prevention Board responds rapidly and effectively as new issues emerge. Apart from academia, and national health authorities, representatives from headquarters (WHO/HQ), the WHO regional office for Europe (WHO/EURO), IARC, GAVI, the International Papillomavirus Society (IPS), European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are also advisors and observers to the Board.
In addition to the permanent group of experts, external experts are invited on an ad hoc basis depending on the topics discussed at the meeting.
The secretariat of the HPV Prevention Board is located at the University of Antwerp, at the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute, within the structure of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), which has over 25 years of experience of successfully running the VHPB secretariat.The CEV is a WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.
The Board organise two meetings per year, one with a focus on technical issues, the second on a SWOT analysis of a country/region. Technical meetings include topics such as newer vaccines, vaccine safety, comparison of vaccine strategies, the need for booster doses, health economics, immunization of males, impact of vaccine on non-cervical diseases such as head and neck and anal cancers, screening technologies and strategies, dealing with anti-vaccine messages, et cetera. Country meetings take place in key countries and regions. Here, the Board invites local health authorities and regional experts to present data on coverage of screening and immunization as well as impact and control strategies.
Results and Accomplishments:
The HPV Prevention and Control has organized 8 successful meetings since 2015. The advisors to the
HPV Board come together in an advisor meeting prior to technical meeting and based on their expertise consider issues that needs to be addressed in the upcoming meetings. Additionally, after each meeting, a meeting report is prepared to publish in a high repute journal to allow further dissemination of the meeting discussion.
The HPV Board has succeeded with arranging 8 technical and country meetings and topics have included:
- Barriers in HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening programmes- Antwerp , June 2016
- Prevention and Control of HPV and HPV related cancers in Denmark: lessons learnt and the
way forward- Copenhagen, November 2016
- Building Trust, Managing Risks: Vaccine Confidence and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination,
7 – 8 June 2017, London, UK
- Prevention and Control of HPV and HPV related cancers in Ireland and the UK: lessons learnt
and the way forward, 30 November – 1 December 2017
- The role of HCP in HPV vaccination and screening programme implementation – Prevention
and control of HPV and HPV related cancers in Romania, 15 – 16 May 2018.
- Prevention and Control of HPV and HPV related cancers in Colombia: Lessons learnt and the
way forward – 15 – 16 November 2018.
- HPV Vaccination of Adults Impact, Opportunities and Challenges – 14 -15 November 2019
You can access the HPV Prevention and Control Board's meeting materials here
More information is available on their website - www.hpvboard.org and Twitter
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