In this article, Waheed and colleagues identify key challenges in training health care professionals (HCPs) for HPV vaccination programmes in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda, drawing on discussions from the CHIC Africa Symposium. Cascade training using a train-the-trainer model is the predominant approach, though all three countries report challenges including high staff turnover, incomplete reach to […]
Topic: Training resources
Effective communication by health care workers to promote HPV vaccination: Lessons learned from Kenya, India, and Nigeria
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; […]
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 […]
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 […]
Integrating School Engagement And Facility-Based Screening To Strengthen HPV Vaccination In Kenya.
In Kenya, a dual-strategy implementation study addressed two persistent barriers to HPV vaccination coverage — vaccine hesitancy and dependence on inconsistent school-based outreach — through complementary school engagement and facility-based OPD screening models. The Ministry of Education–led school engagement component deployed school health committees, teacher training, health club reactivation, and peer-led forums nationwide, generating qualitative […]
Improved HPV Vaccination by co-designing a context-specific Integrated Health Service Delivery Package in Kebbi and Lagos State, Nigeria: Human-Centered Design Approach.
In Nigeria, sustaining HPV vaccination and transitioning to routine delivery following the 2023 multi-age cohort campaign remain significant challenges. As part of the SHARP multi-country study, human-centered design (HCD) workshops in Agege LGA (Lagos) and Gwandu LGA (Kebbi) engaged 55 stakeholders across community, facility, LGA, state, and national levels to co-design locally tailored integrated service […]