Background: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare but impactful ENT disease requiring repeated airway surgery and long-term follow up. It is strongly associated with HPV 6 and 11, making it a preventable surgical disease. Aim: Demonstrate the effectiveness of Australia’s HPV vaccination program on RRP rates, drawing light to the lessons that can be learnt when surgery collaborates with public health. Identify transferable lessons for other countries such as Africa, where vaccination is not yet universal. Method: Literature review of RRP epidemiology in Australia and the HPV vaccination roll out. A review of RRP burden in Africa, focusing on Southern Africa and the HPV vaccination program implementation alongside barriers and enablers to propose implementation strategies focusing on patient adherence via health and community collaboration. Key findings: Australia reported a marked decline in juvenile RRP incidence since national HPV vaccination (from 0.16 per 100,000 in 2012 to 0.02 per 100,000 in 2016), supporting the feasibility of near elimination with sustained high coverage. In contrast, Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa reported an incidence of 3.82 per 100,000 in 2022 in the context of inconsistent HPV vaccination access and administration. As of 2023, HPV vaccination programs have been introduced into national immunisation programs in 29 of 54 African countries, however coverage remains heterogeneous. Conclusions: Australia demonstrates that prevention can dramatically reduce a surgical disease, a pristine example of the art and science of collaboration between surgery and public health. It reframes surgeons as integral in prevention, policy and equity for all. It paves the way for a collaboration framework between ENT, immunisation programs, community engagement and government implementation which can be used as an example world-wide.