Money, Sex and Rumors: Tanzania Faces Challenges to Protect Girls from HPV

May 23, 2023

(New York Times) – The HPV vaccine, which offers near-total protection against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, has been given to adolescents in the United States and other industrialized countries for almost 20 years. But it is only now starting to be widely introduced in lower-income countries, where 90 percent of cervical cancer deaths occur.

Tanzania’s experience — with misinformation, with cultural and religious discomfort, and with supply and logistical obstacles — highlights some of the challenges countries face in implementing what is seen a critical health intervention in the region. (Read More)