'Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of HPV Vaccination Among Bangladeshi Women.

Dr Rehana pervin¹ ,Dr Mitu Debnath²

 

INTRODUCTION
Cervical cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths among women in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Globally, it is the fourth most common cancer in women and in Bangladesh, it ranks as the second most frequent cancer among females, with an estimated 8,068 new cases and 5,214 deaths reported in 2022 (GLOBOCAN). The burden of cervical cancer is disproportionately high in low and middle-income countries.

Persistent infection with high-risk types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, accounting for nearly 85% of all HPV related cancers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vaccination serves as one of the most effective primary prevention strategies against HPV, with the potential to prevent up to 90% of related cancers—particularly when administered before the onset of sexual activity. In October 2023, the Government of Bangladesh launched a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign targeting girls aged 10 to 14 years in grades V to IX, successfully reaching 6.2 million recipients in its final phase.

Despite the availability of the HPV vaccine, uptake remains suboptimal in many low and middle income countries due to limited awareness, socio-cultural barriers and persistent misconceptions. Evaluating the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) of Bangladeshi women is crucial to identifying existing gaps and informing effective strategies to increase vaccine acceptance, reduce the cervical cancer burden and enhance women’s reproductive health outcomes

 

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions concerning the HPV vaccine and identify factors influencing vaccination among women attending the VIA center at a district level hospital in Bangladesh

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among patients attending the outpatient department at VIA center of the 250-Bed General Hospital in Tangail, Bangladesh, from January 2023 to December 2023, utilizing a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected from 155 patients and analyzed using SPSS V-23.