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Batool R. Contemplating the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Introduction in Pakistan: Is Now the Time? Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 110:631-632. [PMID: 38471175 PMCID: PMC10993827 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine introduction is anticipated in many countries in the coming years. This Perspective addresses the opportunities and challenges of introducing HPV vaccination in Pakistan. A substantial portion of the population within the high-risk age group necessitates the implementation of a robust vaccination strategy. Advocacy, community mobilization, and stakeholder engagement are the key elements for the successful implementation of the vaccination program. However, for long-term control strategies, a multifaceted approach is recommended. This approach should involve integrating HPV vaccination into the national immunization program, improving access to screening methods, and establishing comprehensive and cost-effective programs for preventing cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabab Batool
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan; Centre for Child, Adolescent, and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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Das MK. Adverse Events Following Immunization- The Known Unknowns and Black Box : Based on 10th Dr. I. C. Verma Excellence Award for Young Pediatricians Delivered as Oration on 9th Oct. 2022. Indian J Pediatr 2023; 90:817-825. [PMID: 37233889 PMCID: PMC10213574 DOI: 10.1007/s12098-023-04555-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Although vaccines are one of the most rigorously tested biological products, the safety concerns persist globally. The vaccine safety concerns linked to measles, pentavalent and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have affected the vaccine coverage significantly in past. While surveillance of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) is part of the national immunization program mandate, it suffers from challenges and biases related to reporting, completeness, and quality. Some conditions of concern, termed as adverse events of special interest (AESI) following vaccination, mandated specialised studies to prove/disprove the association. The AEFIs/AESIs are usually caused by one of the four pathophysiologic mechanisms, but for several AEFIs/AESIs, the exact pathophysiology remains elusive. For the causality assessment of AEFIs, a systematic process with checklists and algorithm are followed to classify into one of the four causal association categories. While the causal association primarily banks on epidemiological observations for several AEFIs, the emerging evidences indicate roles of underlying genetic, gender, age and other pro-inflammatory risk factors for AEFIs and AESIs. The emerging evidences suggest role of antigenic mimicry, autoantibody(ies) and underlying genetic susceptibility for the AEFIs/AESIs. The uncertainty about the frequency, profile, interval, and severity of AEFIs/AESIs and variations across the population, ambiguity about the exact pathophysiology mechanism, absence of definite markers, suggest a possible black box effect of the vaccines. Unless these unanswered questions concerning the AEFIs/AESIs are addressed appropriately and communicated to the stakeholders (professionals, care providers, beneficiaries, general public and media), the anti-vaccine movement shall keep challenging the vaccine and vaccination program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoja Kumar Das
- Director Projects, The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi, 110020, India.
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Addisu D, Gebeyehu NA, Belachew YY. Knowledge, attitude, and uptake of human papillomavirus vaccine among adolescent schoolgirls in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:279. [PMID: 37210492 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02412-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is an international public health issue. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus. The HPV vaccine prevents more than 75% of cervical cancer. The extent to which adolescent girls' knowledge and uptake of the HPV vaccine have to be investigated in order to build effective promotion strategies and increase the uptake of the vaccine. The evidence that is currently available in this area is controversial and inconclusive. Hence, this study has estimated the pooled proportion of good knowledge, positive attitude, and uptake of the HPV vaccine and its associated factors among adolescent schoolgirls in Ethiopia. METHODS PubMed, Google Scholar, AJOL, ScienceDirect, and DOAJ were used to search relevant studies. A total of 10 studies were included. The data were extracted by two reviewers using Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA Version 17 for analysis. A random effects model was applied during the analysis. Heterogeneity and publication bias across the studies were evaluated using I2 statistics and Egger's test, respectively. The PROSPERO registration number for the review is CRD42023414030. RESULT A total of eight studies comprising 3936 study participants for knowledge and attitude and five studies with 2,481 study participants for uptake of HPV were used to estimate the pooled proportions of good knowledge, a positive attitude, and uptake of the HPV vaccine, respectively. The pooled proportions of good knowledge, positive attitude, and uptake of the HPV vaccine were 55.12%, 45.34%, and 42.05%, respectively. Being an urban resident (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 1.81, 9.58), having good knowledge (OR = 6.70, 95% CI = 3.43, 13.07), and a positive attitude (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.51, 2.74), were significantly associated with the uptake of the vaccine. CONCLUSION The pooled proportions of good knowledge, a positive attitude, and uptake of the HPV vaccine were low in Ethiopia. Being an urban resident and having good knowledge and a positive attitude towards the HPV vaccine were significantly associated with the uptake of the HPV vaccine. We recommend increasing adolescent knowledge, positive attitudes, and uptake of HPV vaccination through school-based seminars, health education, and community mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagne Addisu
- Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
| | - Natnael Atnafu Gebeyehu
- School of Midwifery, College of Health Science and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia
| | - Yismaw Yimam Belachew
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia
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Chughtai N, Perveen K, Gillani SR, Abbas A, Chunara R, Manji AA, Karani S, Noorali AA, Zakaria M, Shamsi U, Chishti U, Khan AA, Soofi S, Pervez S, Samad Z. National cervical cancer burden estimation through systematic review and analysis of publicly available data in Pakistan. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:834. [PMID: 37147640 PMCID: PMC10163779 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15531-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Paucity of data on cervical cancer burden in countries like Pakistan hamper requisite resource allocation. OBJECTIVE To estimate the burden of cervical cancer in Pakistan using available data sources. METHODS We performed a systematic review to identify relevant data on Pakistan between 1995 to 2022. Study data identified through the systematic review that provided enough information to allow age specific incidence rates and age standardized incidence rates (ASIR) calculations for cervical cancer were merged. Population at risk estimates were derived and adjusted for important variables in the care-seeking pathway. The calculated ASIRs were applied to 2020 population estimates to estimate the number of cervical cancer cases in Pakistan. RESULTS A total of 13 studies reported ASIRs for cervical cancer for Pakistan. Among the studies selected, the Karachi Cancer Registry reported the highest disease burden estimates for all reported time periods: 1995-1997 ASIR = 6.81, 1998-2002 ASIR = 7.47, and 2017-2019 ASIR = 6.02 per 100,000 women. Using data from Karachi, Punjab and Pakistan Atomic Energy Cancer Registries from 2015-2019, we derived an unadjusted ASIR for cervical cancer of 4.16 per 100,000 women (95% UI 3.28, 5.28). Varying model assumptions produced adjusted ASIRs ranging from 5.2 to 8.4 per 100,000 women. We derived an adjusted ASIR of 7.60, (95% UI 5.98, 10.01) and estimated 6166 (95% UI 4833, 8305) new cases of cervical cancer per year. CONCLUSION The estimated cervical cancer burden in Pakistan is higher than the WHO target. Estimates are sensitive to health seeking behavior, and appropriate physician diagnostic intervention, factors that are relevant to the case of cervical cancer, a stigmatized disease in a low-lower middle income country setting. These estimates make the case for approaching cervical cancer elimination through a multi-pronged strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Novera Chughtai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Kausar Perveen
- Department of Medicine, CITRIC Health Data Science Center, Aga Khan University, 1st Floor Faculty Office Building, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | | | - Aamir Abbas
- Department of Medicine, CITRIC Health Data Science Center, Aga Khan University, 1st Floor Faculty Office Building, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Rumi Chunara
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Afshan Ali Manji
- Department of Medicine, CITRIC Health Data Science Center, Aga Khan University, 1st Floor Faculty Office Building, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan
| | - Salima Karani
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Maheen Zakaria
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Uzma Shamsi
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Uzma Chishti
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Adnan A Khan
- Research and Development Solutions, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sajid Soofi
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
- Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Shahid Pervez
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Zainab Samad
- Department of Medicine, CITRIC Health Data Science Center, Aga Khan University, 1st Floor Faculty Office Building, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan.
- Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
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Karamagi HC, Berhane A, Ngusbrhan Kidane S, Nyawira L, Ani-Amponsah M, Nyanjau L, Maoulana K, Seydi ABW, Nzinga J, Dangou JM, Nkurunziza T, K Bisoborwa G, Sillah JS, W Muriithi A, Nirina Razakasoa H, Bigirimana F. High impact health service interventions for attainment of UHC in Africa: A systematic review. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000945. [PMID: 36962639 PMCID: PMC10021619 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
African countries have prioritized the attainment of targets relating to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Health Security (HSE) and Coverage of Health Determinants (CHD)to attain their health goals. Given resource constraints, it is important to prioritize implementation of health service interventions with the highest impact. This is important to be identified across age cohorts and public health functions of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnostics, curative, rehabilitative and palliative interventions. We therefore explored the published evidence on the effectiveness of existing health service interventions addressing the diseases and conditions of concern in the Africa Region, for each age cohort and the public health functions. Six public health and economic evaluation databases, reports and grey literature were searched. A total of 151 studies and 357 interventions were identified across different health program areas, public health functions and age cohorts. Of the studies, most were carried out in the African region (43.5%), on communicable diseases (50.6%), and non-communicable diseases (36.4%). Majority of interventions are domiciled in the health promotion, disease prevention and curative functions, covering all age cohorts though the elderly cohort was least represented. Neonatal and communicable conditions dominated disease burden in the early years of life and non-communicable conditions in the later years. A menu of health interventions that are most effective at averting disease and conditions of concern across life course in the African region is therefore consolidated. These represent a comprehensive evidence-based set of interventions for prioritization by decision makers to attain desired health goals. At a country level, we also identify principles for identifying priority interventions, being the targeting of higher implementation coverage of existing interventions, combining interventions across all the public health functions-not focusing on a few functions, provision of subsidies or free interventions and prioritizing early identification of high-risk populations and communities represent these principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humphrey Cyprian Karamagi
- Data Analytics and Knowledge Management, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Araia Berhane
- Conmmunicable Diseases Control Division, Ministry of Health, Asmara, Eritrea
| | - Solyana Ngusbrhan Kidane
- Data Analytics and Knowledge Management, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Lizah Nyawira
- Health Economics Research Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | | | - Koulthoume Maoulana
- Ministry of Health, Solidarity, Social Protection and Gender Promotion, Moroni, Comoros
| | - Aminata Binetou Wahebine Seydi
- Data Analytics and Knowledge Management, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jacinta Nzinga
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
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