Awareness and perception of human papilloma virus vaccine among healthcare professionals in Nigeria

Abstract

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer and cervical cancer is largely a vaccine-preventable disease. The aim of the study was to document the knowledge of healthcare professionals of the HPV vaccine and its acceptability. It was a cross-sectional study in three of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, carried out between June 2010 and January 2011. The 602 adult Nigerian respondents were made up of 147 (24.4%) males and 455 (75.6%) females aged 20-57 years, with a mean of 34.3 ± 7.9 years; most were under 40 years (70.1%) and married (n = 394; 65.5%). In total, 548 (91%) were aware of HPV; 83.4% knew HPV as an STI; 78.2% knew HPV can cause cervical cancer but only 265 (44.0%) were aware of the HPV vaccine. Among the healthcare professionals studied, nurses were the least aware of the existence of the HPV vaccine (χ(2) = 1.54, p = 0.001). A total of 489 (81.0%) would approve HPV vaccine for their teenage daughters. The men were more likely to accept the vaccination of their daughters than the women (χ(2) = 14.76, p = 0.002). The unmarried were more favourably disposed to vaccination of teenagers than the married (χ(2) = 27.37, p = 0.001). Safety concerns were the commonest reasons expressed by the 7% who were reluctant to accept the vaccination of their teenage daughters. In conclusion, healthcare providers are the custodians of health in a community, yet have low knowledge of a vaccine that can prevent the commonest cancer in women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Factors influencing the recommendation of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine by South African doctors working in a tertiary hospital

“…28 Among Nigerian HCW, 91% were aware of HPV -but only 44.0% were aware of the HPV vaccine. 29 A Cross-Sectional Study conducted among Primary Care Physicians in Hong Kong found a low level of knowledge with regard to the epidemiology of HPV infection. 30 HCW recommendations have a significant impact on the acceptability of the vaccines -as they are the most trusted people.…”

Acceptability of multipurpose human papillomavirus vaccines among providers and mothers of adolescent girls: A mixed-methods study in five countries

“…To assess the acceptability of hypothetical MPVs for STI/HIV prevention, we conducted a mixed-methods study among adolescent vaccine providers and mothers of adolescent girls in five geographically-diverse countries. We hypothesized that MPV preference would be high among providers [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] and mixed among mothers, based on barriers reported in the HPV vaccine literature [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] . To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess providers’ and mothers’ attitudes toward MPVs, providing insight into the acceptability of MPVs as a strategy to promote sexual health in adolescents.…”

Epidemiological patterns of cervical human papillomavirus infection among women presenting for cervical cancer screening in North-Eastern Nigeria

“…Socio-cultural practices in the region also encourages early marriage and polygamy [ 13 ]. Despite cervical cancer being the commonest genital tract malignancy in this region (70.5 %), only 11.5 % of women ever had a Pap smear with very poor knowledge of HPV vaccine even among healthcare workers [ 14 , 15 ].…”