Helsinki, 15 January 2008

In an effort to ensure that women and girls in developing countries get access to costly vaccinations against the human papilloma virus (HPV), the Cancer Society of Finland has come up with an inventive strategy.

It has recommended to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) that it spearhead a campaign whereby a woman or girl in a developing country receives the vaccination or screening for every woman or girl who is vaccinated in a developed country.

The initiative is aimed at tackling the growing health inequalities between rich and poor countries. HPV vaccinations have been widely recommended in Europe and other parts of the world. But the vaccinations are expensive, meaning that developing countries, such as India, that should be able to benefit from HPV vaccination programmes cannot.

Developing countries bear the brunt of cervical cancer incidence worldwide. Each year an estimated half a million women contract cervical cancer. Over...