Prevalence of high-risk Human Papillomavirus Types Among Women Aged 30–49 Years in the Chui Region of the Kyrgyz Republic
Turatbek Kozukeev¹, Olga EM¹, Iza Ciglenecki³, Evelyne Wachira¹, Asel Tenizbaeva⁴, Adrian Guadarrama³, Masha Pastrana³, Manuel Albela³, Jean Kalibushi²,
1 MSFCH-Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, 2 MSFCH, Berlin, Germany, 3 MSF, Geneva, Switzerland, 4 Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, FMC#6, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Introduction
•Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a widespread sexually transmitted infection, with over 200 known types.
•At least 14 are classified as high-risk or oncogenic due to their strong association with cervical cancer
•Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide
•The burden of cervical cancer and HPV-related diseases is disproportionately higher in LMICs due to limited access to screening programs, HPV vaccination, and timely treatment
•In Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, the epidemiological data on HPV prevalence and type distribution are scarce, although cervical cancer incidence rates remain alarmingly high
•In Kyrgyzstan, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women, with an estimated age-standardized incidence rate of 14.0 per 100,000 women
•The lack of widespread cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination programs has contributed to the persistent burden of cervical cancer in this region
•In Kyrgyzstan as in other LMICs, face numerous challenges in implementing organized screening programs, resulting in low screening coverage and late-stage diagnosis of cervical cancer
Objectives
To estimate the prevalence of HPV types and its distribution in Chui region in Kyrgyzstan
Materials and methods
•A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 public health facilities (PHCC in Sokuluk and Jani-Jer and FMC#6 ) in Chui region from January to May 2024.
•Women, aged 30-49 years, attending routine gynecologic or family planning services were included in the study after ruling out total hysterectomy, acute severe febrile illness, thermal ablation less than 1 year and pregnancy.
•After obtaining informed consent, a cervical specimen was collected for detection of high- risk oncogenic HPV types, followed by a VIA test and completion of a structured questionnaire.
•In total 1152 women were recruited
•GeneXpert HPV testing was used for detection of high-oncogenic HPV types and analysis was done in pools as followed: “HPV16 Primary” for HPV16, “HPV 18_45,” P3:HPV types 31, 33, 35, 52, or 58, “P4: HPV types 51 or 59, P5: HPV types 39, 56, 66, or 68
