Impact beyond our mission

When we first started implemented a non-invasive urine-based HPV screening test among women in rural Eswatini we aimed to help women access cervical cancer prevention services with more confidence and less discomfort. Little did we know that that pilot project would pave the way to research at international level to advance equity in HPV vaccine innovation.

Thanks to the support of the University of Milan, staff at St. Philip’s clinic learned how to collect and store epidemiological data, which revealed the extensive presence of HPV 35 among Swazi women. HPV 35 is a high risk type of HPV, which is not covered by current vaccine formulations, thus potentially leaving many women in Eswatini and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa at riks of developing cervical cancer.

St. Philip’s clinic lab

Since then, the research team at the University of Milan has been advocating to dedicate more support to conduct HPV vaccine research and development based on actual needs of underserved communities, which bear the heaviest burden of cervical cancer.

These efforts resulted in a partnership between WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), aimed at understanding the actual burden of HPV35 and assess the possible benefits of including HPV35 in vaccine formulations, improving equity in access to cervical cancer prevention.