Sabrina S Plitt

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide (1). Estimates of new infections range from 1 to 5.5 million annually in the United States (2). An estimated 75% of sexually active Canadians will contract HPV at least once in their lifetime, leading to 1,550 diagnoses of cervical cancer and approximately 400 HPV-related deaths, based on 2017 population data (3).

Lay summary: Before the emergence of COVID-19, Alberta was on track to meet national HCV elimination targets by the year 2029. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the shifting of public health resources away from HCV, likely disrupting HCV elimination progress.