In this case study analysis, Njogu and colleagues examine how health care workers in Kenya, India, and Nigeria have communicated to promote HPV vaccine uptake at different stages of national rollout. In Kenya, a multisectoral approach and myth-busting training proved critical; in Sikkim (India), intensive social mobilization and cascade training underpinned a successful subnational introduction; […]
Topic: Communication
Communication And Dialogue With Islamic Religious Scholars: A Focus Group Discussion To Enhance Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Awareness And Uptake In Northern Nigeria
In northern Nigeria, a focus group discussion with 13 senior Islamic scholars (Imams) from diverse ideological backgrounds was conducted in Gombe one week before the state’s HPV vaccine launch in May 2024, with the aim of surfacing barriers to vaccine acceptance and building religious endorsement ahead of rollout. Scholars reached consensus that Islam permits — […]
HPV Vaccination PHPV Vaccination Determinant in Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Nationwide Health Workers Survey
In Cameroon, HPV vaccination coverage remained below 20% until 2023, when the introduction of a single-dose gender-neutral schedule combined with periodic intensification of routine immunisation (PIRI) raised coverage to approximately 60% among girls. A nationwide cross-sectional survey of 1,225 health workers conducted between August 2023 and July 2024 found that 83% were willing to vaccinate […]
Overcoming Barriers To Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake In Sierra Leone: Insights From Formative Research In Four Low-Performing Districts
In Sierra Leone, HPV vaccination coverage fell sharply from over 100% in 2022 to 31.3% in 2023, prompting CHAI and the Ministry of Health EPI programme to conduct formative research across the four lowest-performing districts — Bonthe, Koinadugu, Kenema, and Western Area Rural. A mixed-methods study combining facility data audits and semi-structured interviews with healthcare […]
Using Routine Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Data to Guide High-Impact Community Outreach in Nigeria
In Nigeria, routine HPV vaccination coverage among nine-year-old girls remains low in Kano State, constrained by limited awareness, persistent myths, and geographic and economic barriers. Pathfinder International used DHIS2 data to identify low-coverage local government areas and implemented targeted community outreach in collaboration with State Primary Health Care Development Boards, deploying trained vaccination teams alongside […]
Formative insights to optimize the systematic medical visits, an integrated package of health services including HPV vaccination, in Côte d’Ivoire.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the national systematic medical visits (VMS) programme has integrated HPV vaccination since September 2023, combining it with multicomponent adolescent health services including screenings, nutrition assessments, and reproductive health counselling. Despite coverage gains, implementation remains uneven across delivery settings, with logistical gaps, limited intersectoral coordination, and inequitable cost distribution identified as key barriers […]
Improving uptake of HPV Vaccine: Challenges and strategies used to reach Out-of-School Adolescents in Tanzania
In Tanzania, HPV vaccination coverage among out-of-school (OOS) adolescent girls aged 9–14 remains low despite national programme progress. As part of the SHARP mixed-methods implementation research study, 69 key informant interviews with health workers and managers in Mbeya and Arusha identified layered barriers to reaching OOS girls, including complex recruitment procedures, transport and distance constraints, […]
Reaching the unreached: Integrating HPV Vaccination into Community Based Health Platforms in Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, where cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women, the school-based HPV vaccination strategy structurally excludes out-of-school girls — particularly in pastoralist and hard-to-reach communities. The HPV-VISION project evaluated two community-based integration models across four districts: integration into routine immunisation services (ARM 2) and integration into Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Services (ARM […]
Community-driven solutions for HPV vaccination: results from human-centered design in Malawi and Mozambique
In Malawi and Mozambique — two countries with among the highest cervical cancer incidence rates globally (67.9 and 47.8 per 100,000 women respectively) — a multi-stakeholder human-centered design process engaged adolescents aged 9–14, caregivers, teachers, health workers, and community and religious leaders across 35 workshops in four districts to co-create integrated HPV vaccination delivery solutions. […]
Laying the groundwork for adolescent-centred HPV services: Formative Insights from Stakeholder Consultations in Lagos and Kebbi States, Nigeria
In Nigeria, formative stakeholder consultations conducted across Lagos and Kebbi states engaged 88 key informants — including national programme managers, adolescent girls, caregivers, community leaders, health workers, teachers, and LGA managers — to identify barriers and facilitators for integrating HPV vaccination with adolescent primary health care services as part of the SHARP implementation research programme. […]