The feasibility of universal HPV vaccination program in Shenzhen of China: a health policy analysis

Post-marketing safety surveillance study of a 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine in individuals aged 16-26 years in Chongqing, China

The safety of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, one of the major challenges to public vaccination, has been controversial. This study assessed the adverse reactions of 9-valent HPV (9vHPV) vaccines. This open-label, observational, multi-center, post-marketing study assessed the safety of 9vHPV administered according to local clinical practice. All post-marketing adverse events (AEs) reports received between December 2019 and November 2021 in Chongqing were analyzed. A total of 1000 individuals aged 16-26 years provided safety data post-vaccination; The most common AEs (60.1%) experienced by 9vHPV vaccine recipients were vaccination-site AEs (pain, swelling, induration) and non-vaccination-site AEs (dizzy, weak, fever). Vaccination-site AEs most were mild-to-moderate in intensity. Discontinuations and HPV 9-related serious AEs were rare (0.3% and 0.0%, respectively). Eight SAEs were reported during the study but none were considered as related to the study vaccine. The 9vHPV vaccine was generally well tolerated in subjects aged 16-26 years; Vaccination-site AEs were more common with 9vHPV.

Implementing the free HPV vaccination for adolescent girls aged below 14 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China: experience, challenges, and lessons

Cervical cancer is a major public health concern in China, accounting for almost one-fifth of the global incidence and mortality. The recently prequalified domestic bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers a practical and feasible preventive measure. In response to the global call for action, the National Health Commission issued an Action Plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, with promotion of the HPV vaccination for school-aged girls as a critical step. Despite this, implementation of the vaccination has been patchy, with very low coverage among eligible girls. To address this, from December 2021 to December 2022, a demonstration project was launched in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to promote the inclusion of HPV vaccine in local immunisation programme and to address existing barriers to implementation. Using multiple sources of data, this article presents a case study of the demonstration project, analysing its impact on rolling out HPV vaccination among eligible girls and identifying any challenges encountered during implementation. The demonstration project has shown promising results in increasing the HPV vaccination rate, promoting public awareness and acceptance of the domestic HPV vaccine, and establishing a model for quickly scaling up the vaccination at the municipal level. The success of the project can be attributed to several factors, including strong governmental commitment, sufficient funding, multi-sectoral collaboration, ensured vaccine accessibility and affordability, improved vaccination services, and effective health education and communication strategies. Lessons learned from Shenzhen can provide valuable insights for future advocacy and implementation of the vaccination in other areas of China, but challenges must be addressed to achieve universal coverage. These include addressing vaccine hesitancy, expanding the programme to cover a broader age range, and ensuring consistent quality of vaccination services in primary care facilities. Overcoming these challenges will require innovative strategies, public-private partnerships, and sustained funding and resources. Future research should focus on evaluating the long-term effectiveness of the vaccination programme and identifying contextual factors that may impact its implementation in different settings. Overall, the effective control of cervical cancer in China will rely on the "political will" to ensure the incorporation of preventive interventions into policies and universal programme coverage.

Public health impact of 2-, 4-, and 9-valent HPV vaccination in females on cervical and noncervical diseases in men and women under different coverage scenarios in China: A simulation study

The high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in China suggests there would be a substantial positive health impact of widespread vaccination against HPV. We adapted a previously described dynamic transmission model of the natural history of HPV infection and related diseases to the Chinese setting to estimate the public health impact in China of 2-valent (with and without cross-protection), 4-valent, and 9-valent HPV vaccination strategies. The model predicted the incidence and mortality associated with HPV-related diseases, including cervical and noncervical cancers, genital warts, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), based on the various vaccination coverage rate (VCR) scenarios, over a 100-year time horizon. The public health impact of the 4 vaccination strategies was estimated in terms of cases and deaths averted compared to a scenario with no vaccination. Under the assumption of various primary and catch-up VCR scenarios, all 4 vaccination strategies reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in females and noncervical cancers in both sexes, and the 4-valent and 9-valent vaccines reduced the incidence of genital warts and RRP in both sexes. The 9-valent vaccination strategy was superior on all outcomes. The number of cervical cancer cases averted over 100 years ranged from ~ 1 million to ~ 5 million while the number of cervical cancer deaths averted was ~ 345,000 to ~ 1.9 million cases, depending on the VCR scenario. The VCR for primary vaccination was the major driver of cases averted.

Understanding the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy Terrain in Ontario Canada: A Policy Analysis of the Actors, Content, Processes, and Context

(1) Background: Canada had a unique approach to COVID-19 vaccine policy making. The objective of this study was to understand the evolution of COVID-19 vaccination policies in Ontario, Canada, using the policy triangle framework. (2) Methods: We searched government websites and social media to identify COVID-19 vaccination policies in Ontario, Canada, which were posted between 1 October 2020, and 1 December 2021. We used the policy triangle framework to explore the policy actors, content, processes, and context. (3) Results: We reviewed 117 Canadian COVID-19 vaccine policy documents. Our review found that federal actors provided guidance, provincial actors made actionable policy, and community actors adapted policy to local contexts. The policy processes aimed to approve and distribute vaccines while continuously updating policies. The policy content focused on group prioritization and vaccine scarcity issues such as the delayed second dose and the mixed vaccine schedules. Finally, the policies were made in the context of changing vaccine science, global and national vaccine scarcity, and a growing awareness of the inequitable impacts of pandemics on specific communities. (4) Conclusions: We found that the triad of vaccine scarcity, evolving efficacy and safety data, and social inequities all contributed to the creation of vaccine policies that were difficult to efficiently communicate to the public. A lesson learned is that the need for dynamic policies must be balanced with the complexity of effective communication and on-the-ground delivery of care.

Cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccine in China: a systematic review of modelling studies

OBJECTIVES

China suffers from high burdens of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, whereas the uptake of HPV vaccine remains low. The first Chinese domestic HPV vaccine was released in 2019. However, collective evidence on cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination in China has yet to be established. We summarised evidence on the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccine in China.

DESIGN

Systematic review and narrative synthesis DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data were searched through 2 January 2021 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Cost-effectiveness studies using a modelling approach focusing on HPV vaccination interventions in the setting of China were included for review.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

We extracted information from the selected studies focusing on cost-effectiveness results of various vaccination programmes, key contextual and methodological factors influencing cost-effectiveness estimates and an assessment of study quality.

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies were included for review. Considerable heterogeneity was found in terms of the methodologies used, HPV vaccination strategies evaluated and study quality. The reviewed studies generally supported the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccine in China, although some reached alternative conclusions, particularly when assessed incremental to cervical cancer screening. Cost of vaccination was consistently identified as a key determinant for the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination programmes.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing HPV vaccination programmes should be complemented with expanded cervical cancer screening, while the release of lower-priced domestic vaccine offers more promising potential for initiating public HPV vaccination programmes. Findings of this study contributes important evidence for policies for cervical cancer prevention in China and methodological implications for future modelling efforts.

National decision-making for the introduction of new vaccines: A systematic review, 2010-2020

BACKGROUND

Competing priorities make using a transparent and evidence-based approach important when deciding to recommend new vaccines. We conducted a literature review to document the processes and frameworks for national decision-making on new vaccine introductions and explored which key features have evolved since 2010.

METHODS

We searched literature published on policymaking related to vaccine introduction from March 2010 to August 2020 in six databases. We screened articles for eligibility with the following exclusion criteria: non-human or hypothetical vaccines, the sole focus on economic evaluation or decision to adopt rather than policy decision-making. We employed nine broad categories of criteria from the 2012 review for categorization and abstracted data on the country, income level, vaccine, and other relevant criteria.

RESULTS

Of the 3808 unique references screened, 116 met eligibility criteria and were classified as: a) framework of vaccine adoption decision-making (27), b) studies that analyse empirical data on or examples of vaccine adoption decision-making (45), c) theoretical and empirical articles that provide insights into the vaccine policymaking process (44 + 17 already included in the previous categories). Commonly reported criteria for decision-making were the burden of disease; vaccine efficacy/effectiveness, safety; impact on health and non-health outcomes; economic evaluation and cost-effectiveness of alternative interventions. Programmatic and acceptability aspects were not as often considered. Most (50; 82%) of the 61 articles describing the process of vaccine introduction policymaking highlighted the role of country, regional, or global evidence-informed recommendations and a robust national governance as enabling factors for vaccine adoption.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature on vaccine adoption decision-making has expanded since 2010. We found that policymakers and expert advisory committee members (e.g., National Immunization Technical Advisory Group [NITAG]) increasingly value the interventions based on economic evaluations. The results of this review could guide discussions on evidence-informed immunization decision-making among country, sub-regional, and regional stakeholders.

Epidemiology and Burden of Human Papillomavirus and Related Diseases, Molecular Pathogenesis, and Vaccine Evaluation

Diagnosed in more than 90% of cervical cancers, the fourth deadliest cancer in women, human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently the most common pathogen responsible for female cancers. Moreover, HPV infection is associated with many other diseases, including cutaneous and anogenital warts, and genital and upper aerodigestive tract cancers. The incidence and prevalence of these pathologies vary considerably depending on factors including HPV genotype, regional conditions, the study population, and the anatomical site sampled. Recently, features of the cervicovaginal microbiota are found to be associated with the incidence of HPV-related diseases, presenting a novel approach to identify high-risk women through both blood and cervical samples. Overall, the HPV repartition data show that HPV infection and related diseases are more prevalent in developing countries. Moreover, the available (2-, 4-, and 9-valent) vaccines based on virus-like particles, despite their proven effectiveness and safety, present some limitations in terms of system development cost, transport cold chain, and oncogenic HPV variants. In addition, vaccination programs face some challenges, leading to a considerable burden of HPV infection and related diseases. Therefore, even though the new (9-valent) vaccine seems promising, next-generation vaccines as well as awareness programs associated with HPV vaccination and budget reinforcements for immunization are needed.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and type distribution among Uyghur females in Xinjiang, northwest China

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has a key role in the development of cervical cancer. The present study aimed to determine the HPV type distribution among females of Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang province, northwest China. A total of 12,165 individuals aged 30-79 years from 12 villages in Zepu County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang province were recruited for screening. Cervical and vaginal swabs from each subject were collected by gynecologists and tested for HPV DNA using Luminex xMAP technology. The results indicated that the overall HPV prevalence was 9.34% (1,136/12,165) in the present cohort; 7.41% (901/12,165) of the individuals were positive for high-risk type HPV (HR-HPV) and 1.64% (200/12,165) were positive for multiple types. Among the individuals who tested positive for HR-HPV types, the three most prevalent types were HPV16 (2.83%), HPV31 (0.99%) and HPV68 (0.88%). Subgroup analysis by age indicated that the highest frequency of HPV infections occurred in subjects aged >60 years. The most common genotype combinations in subjects with multiple types were HPV16 + HPV54, HPV16 + HPV31 and HPV16 + HPV68. The present study provided data on the prevalence and type distribution of HPV infections among Uyghur females in Xinjiang province, northwestern China, which will assist in the assessment of the potential cost-effectiveness of HPV screening and vaccination in this population. The data will also facilitate the determination of HPV68 and 54 strains that should be included in the multi-type vaccine and the establishment of a vaccination program that caters for the different age groups of the Uyghur population.

Exploring Chinese College Students' HPV Awareness, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Intent of HPV Vaccination: a Qualitative Study

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the world's most prevalent sexually transmitted infection and causes cancers. In China, about 47,739 deaths occur annually from HPV-related cervical cancer, and this number continues to increase. HPV vaccines have shown promising results in preventing HPV-associated cancers; however, the vaccination rate in Chinese college students remains extremely low. This qualitative research explored Chinese college students' HPV-related awareness, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and their vaccination intention as well as the strategies promoting vaccination in China. We conducted four focus groups with 18 male and 20 female students; prompts were developed based on the health belief model (HBM). Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and translated from Chinese to English by three bilingual researchers. Content analysis of the data revealed eight themes addressing HBM. Participants demonstrated high awareness (71% had heard of HPV) with limited knowledge. They perceived very low risks of being infected but expressed high vaccination intention if the cost was covered by the government. Participants identified reasons that facilitate and prevent vaccination and proposed culturally and developmentally congruent strategies to promote vaccination in China. It is essential to address facilitators and barriers at individual, societal, political, and cultural levels to promote HPV vaccination in Chinese college students.

Toward universal human papillomavirus vaccination for adolescent girls in Hong Kong: a policy analysis

Studies have assessed early population-level impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs for preventing cervical cancer. Through a case study in Hong Kong we examined stakeholder engagement and interactions to promote a universal HPV vaccination program using the Health Policy Triangle framework for structured health policy analysis. Using data from a document review and semi-structured in-depth interviews, we used thematic and stakeholder analyses to describe the process of policy formation. Given Hong Kong’s political and health system, and a mix of Chinese and Western values, stakeholders judged legitimacy of the process differently. We discuss their varied ethical stances and the role of research evidence for informing policy-making. For effective HPV vaccination policy and promotion of universal free HPV vaccination among adolescent girls, new strategies are needed to broaden acceptance of the process, to frame policies in terms of facts and values, and to connect research to policy-making and improve coalition-building.

The Role of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus-Related Long Non-Coding RNAs in the Prognosis of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cervical cancer (CC) is a malignant tumor that could seriously endanger women's life and health, of which cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC) accounts for more than 80%. High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is the primary cause of CC. The 5-year survival rate is low due to poor prognosis. We need to explore the pathogenesis of CC and seek effective biomarkers to improve prognosis. The purpose of this research is to construct an HR-HPV-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signature for predicting the survival and finding the biomarkers related to CC prognosis. First, we downloaded the CESC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to find HR-HPV-related lncRNAs in CC. Then, the differentially expressed lncRNAs were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression. Six lncRNAs were found to be associated with the prognosis and can be used as independent prognostic factors. Next, based on these prognostic genes, we established a risk score model, which showed that patients with higher score had poorer prognosis and higher mortality. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier curve of the model indicated that the model was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The survival-receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the model could also predict the survival of CC patients (the area under the curve, AUC = 0.65). More importantly, nomogram was drawn with clinical features and risk score, which verified the above conclusion, and its calibration curve and c-index index fully demonstrated that the prediction model could predict the progress of CC. We also validated the risk score model in head and neck cancer, and the results indicated that the model had obvious prognostic ability. Finally, we analyzed the correlation between clinical features and survival, and found that neoplasm cancer (p < 0.000) and risk score (p < 0.000) were independent prognostic factors for CC. In conclusion, the study established HR-HPV-related lncRNA signature, which provided a reliable prognostic tool, and was of great significance for finding the biomarkers related to HR-HPV infection in CC.