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Prisons, due to various risk factors, are environments that are conducive to infectious disease transmission, with significantly higher prevalence of infectious diseases within prisons compared to the general population. This underscores the importance of preventive measures, particularly vaccination. As part of the international project "Reaching the hard-to-reach: Increasing access and vaccine uptake among the prison population in Europe" (RISE-Vac), this study aimed to map the availability and delivery framework of vaccination services in prisons across Europe and beyond. A questionnaire designed to collect data on the availability and delivery model of vaccination services in prisons was validated and uploaded in SurveyMonkey in July 2023. Then, it was submitted to potential participants, with at least one representative from each European country. Potential participants emailed an invitation letter by the RISE-Vac partners and by the European Organization of Prison and Correctional Services (EUROPRIS). Twenty European countries responded. Vaccines are available in European countries, although their availability differs by country and type of vaccine. The first dose is offered to people living in prisons (PLP), mostly within one month, COVID-19 is the most widely offered vaccine. In all countries, vaccines are actively offered by healthcare workers; in most countries, there is no evaluation of vaccination status among people who work in prison. The survey shows variance in vaccine availability for PLP and staff across countries and vaccine types. Quality healthcare in prisons is not only a matter of the right to health but also a critical public health investment: enhancing vaccine uptake consistently among PLP and staff should be prioritized., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The most important human oncogenic viruses are hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV). The roll-out of vaccinations against HPV and HBV is a significant public health initiative with robust evidence of impact on the prevention of infection and neoplastic disease sequelae . Incarcerated individuals frequently have suboptimal immunisation levels for a wide variety of vaccine-preventable diseases, including HBV and HPV, and a high burden of disease for HBV/HPV-related cancers. In this Personal View, we analyse evidence regarding HBV and HPV vaccination in prison settings in 20 European countries and integrate it with existing scientific literature to discuss the rationale and possible strategies to expand cancer-preventing vaccination in prison populations. Enhancing HBV/HPV vaccination offer and uptake of HBV/HPV vaccination for this population would not only contribute to reducing the derived burden among the European population, but would also foster health equity and boost efforts towards the attainment of global and regional public health targets., Competing Interests: MPTF, JM and AB received all support for the present manuscript and for attending meetings and/or travel from the RISE-Vac project co-funded by the European Union’s 3rd Health Programme. LT has received funding and grants from Italian public institutions and the EU and consulting fees from WHO Health in Prison Programme. Other authors declare no competing interests. The content of this manuscript represents the views of the authors only and is their sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains., (© 2024 The Authors.)