Prevalence of high‐risk HPV among marginalized urban women in India and its implications on vaccination: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. 1 It is more common in lower-income countries, with 454 000 cases in 2008 accounting for more than 85% of the global burden of cancer. 2 Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women aged between 15 and 44 years in India. 3 It accounts for 20% of all cancer deaths in Indian women and is a major cause of death in middle-aged women. India has a population of 432 million women who are older than 15 years and are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Current estimates indicate that every year 122 844 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 67 477 die from the disease in India. 3 In lowresource settings such as India, the structure to diagnose and treat cervical cancer in its early stages is not widely available. Cervical cancer is often identified in the later stages or when treatment is inaccessible, contributing to the high number of deaths and low 5year survival rate.Nearly all cervical cancer cases can be attributed to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, 4 and 70% of cases are caused by two HPV types (16 and 18). 1 Cervical cancer is preventable by regular

Editorial: Vaccinations and women's reproductive health

“…2 HPV was identified in 32% of married women aged 30-45 years living in urban slums in India, with 84% having high-risk serotypes 16, 18, and 58. 3…”