“The Government of Papua New Guinea today introduced human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination into its national immunization programme, taking a major step towards protecting future generations of girls and women from cervical cancer, currently the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the country.

At a national launch at New Erima Primary School in Port Moresby, trained health workers vaccinated eligible girls aged 9–14 with the first doses. Following the launch, Phase 1 of the programme will begin free of charge across the National Capital District (NCD) and Central Province in November 2026, before gradually expanding to other provinces.

Over 1,000 women are diagnosed with the disease annually in Papua New Guinea, and approximately 650 die of it each year. Yet cervical cancer is largely preventable. More than 95 per cent of cervical cancer is caused by HPV. Vaccinating girls before exposure to the virus can protect them against HPV strains responsible for up to 90 per cent of cervical cancer cases.”

From Gavi.

“A new global mpox vaccine stockpile is set to begin operations later this month, creating a long-term mechanism to help ensure that countries facing mpox outbreaks have rapid and equitable access to vaccines.

Like existing global emergency stockpiles for yellow fever, meningitis, Ebola and cholera vaccines, the mpox stockpile will be available to any country that needs it. However, because supplies are limited and must be distributed equitably, it is designed primarily for emergency outbreak response.

Countries eligible for Gavi support receive stockpiled vaccines free of charge. Wealthier countries can access the stockpile just as quickly, but these countries must subsequently reimburse the cost of the vaccines.”

From Gavi.

“In 2025, 90% of infants globally – or nearly 116 million – received at least one dose of a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, and 85% – or 110 million – completed the full three-dose series, according to the annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) released today.

While both indicators rose by one percentage point from the previous year, global coverage remains one point below 2019 levels – hovering within the same narrow range since 2009.

According to the data, an estimated 13.5 million 'zero-dose' children did not receive a single vaccine in their first year during 2025. While these represent nearly 750 000 fewer children than the previous year, progress is offset by a rising number of children who start the schedule and do not complete it. Most of these children live in countries where national immunization programmes receive support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.”

From World Health Organization.

“Vaccines that do not need to be kept cool in a fridge have been successfully trialled in patients for the first time, say UK scientists.

Currently, most vaccines need to be refrigerated or frozen – but around half are wasted each year, mainly because they become unusable after getting too hot or too cold.

In the trial, which involved 60 volunteers, company Stablepharma converted a liquid tetanus-diphtheria vaccine into a 'fridge-free' version by keeping it as a dry powder for a year at room temperature before mixing it with water and injecting it.”

From BBC.