Leading experts, policymakers, decision-makers, and opinion leaders from more than 35 countries in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions will gather in Seoul, Korea during June 1-2, 2009 to address issues, obstacles and propose solutions to fight against human papillomavirus, the second leading cause of cancer in women around the world. HPV is associated with an estimated 300,000 deaths each year among women globally. While HPV affects all populations in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, a disproportionate share of all deaths occurs among women with limited access to health. This burden is especially notable in areas where women lack access to appropriate cervical cancer screening programs. The development of HPV vaccines has been a major achievement in vaccinology over the past 15 years. The rapidity of HPV vaccine development now creates the potential for making these vaccines available to all countries.

HPV vaccines have proven to be safe and effective in large-scale trials and these vaccines are now being made available to populations in industrialized countries. As HPV vaccines become more widely available, a number of urgent questions have arisen with regard to a) their introduction into immunization programs, b) effects on existing cervical cancer screening programs, c) access to HPV vaccines for hard-to-reach populations, and d) sustainability of HPV vaccine financing in developing countries. The First Symposium on Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East Regions will seek to answer the above mentioned urgent questions and offer an opportunity for participants to share information and exchange insightful views on how to better address the issues surrounding HPV disease. To this end, the Symposium, which is co-hosted by the International Vaccine Institute and PATH with participation of the WHO, aims at:

• Providing global and regional updates on the epidemiology of HPV infections and HPV-associated diseases including cervical cancer;
• Providing updated technical information on HPV vaccines;
• Exploring opportunities and identifying obstacles regarding the introduction of vaccines against HPV in the countries of the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions;
• Generating political will for prevention of cervical cancer;
• Developing concrete action plans that help countries in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions; and
• Accelerating the introduction of HPV vaccines into the routine immunization programs in a sustainable fashion.