This week, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and partners announced that 86 million girls have been vaccinated against HPV averting 1.4 million deaths in lower income countries. This achievement hits a global target ahead of schedule and highlights the power and potential of STI vaccines as essential prevention tools. But with continued global health funding cuts and growing political threats, there’s an urgency to protect and sustain progress on STI research, development, and implementation. This final STIWatch newsletter of 2025 shares resources for advocacy including, a new video from experts on why STI vaccines matter, a commentary in the journal, Sexually Transmitted Infections on self-collection and self-testing language, a webinar recording with presenters who were not able to attend the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress due to funding and political barriers, along with much more.
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In this new video, AVAC’s Alison Footman, Helen Rees of Wits RHI, and other STI researchers explain why STI vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B, HPV, and mpox, are essential to reducing infections, especially in settings where testing and treatment are limited. They highlight the importance of simplifying dosing regimens, accelerating uptake in low- and middle-income countries, and ensuring equity in vaccine access as new STI vaccines are developed.
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Self-testing’ versus ‘self-collection’: the critical role of consistent language in the field of STI diagnostics
A new commentary in Sexually Transmitted Infections by Alison Footman, Barbara Van Der Pol, Yukari Carol Manabe, Khalil Ghanem and Olusegun Soge make the case for precise and consistent language when discussing self-testing and self-collection as clarity impacts policy, expectations, and access.
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Hundreds of researchers and advocates face barriers in attending annual scientific conferences each year due to financial and visa difficulties. AVAC partnered with the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR), the International Union against STIs (IUSTI), and the STI & HIV 2025 World Congress to host, Beyond Borders, a special webinar spotlighting speakers who were not able to join the congress due to financial and political barriers. Presenters shared their findings and discussed the work still ahead for the STI field.
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In the last 18 months, seven civil society organizations across East and Southern Africa led efforts to understand local barriers including stockouts, stigma, data gaps and outdated policies that could impact STI prevention and treatment efforts and to drive momentum for new diagnostics, vaccines, and updated national guidelines. This work is continuing in 2025 with new national landscaping projects in Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, focused on building coordinated advocacy networks. Read a new blog featuring reflections from three advocates leading this next wave.
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STI Diagnostics are Key to Prevention
Most STI testing requires taking blood, urine, or anatomical samples that must be processed in a laboratory. Rapid, inexpensive point-of-care tests could identify more infections, especially in resource-limited settings, and deliver faster results so that patients could obtain results and treatment quickly.
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Learn more about diagnostics 
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