HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a very common virus that can lead to various types of cancer than mainly affect women and girls including cervical cancer. In fact, HPV is responsible for over 90% of all cervical cancer cases.

Every two minutes a woman dies from cervical cancer. That's 300,000 female lives lost every year to the disease. A major cause of cervical cancer is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which increases the chances of cells becoming cancerous.

All ten of the countries with the highest rates of cervical cancer are located in Africa. Nearly 90% of all deaths from cervical cancer globally occur in low and middle-income countries due to a lack of HPV vaccine programs, screening programs, and awareness.

The HPV vaccine prevents up to 90% of all cervical cancer cases. It works by stimulating the body to produce antibodies that are able to bind to an HPV virus and prevent it from infecting cells. If girls are given the vaccine when they are young – around age 12 – their immune response is even stronger and they are protected for life.

Since its development in 20006, 9.8 million girls have been protected by the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer. But this is still just 12 - 15% coverage for girls globally. Everybody needs to help raise awareness about the efficacy of the HPV vaccine to save lives and the need for all girls to have access to it.