Zambia has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence rates in the world. Cervical cancer remains a major public health concern in the country. High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) 16/18 are responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancer cases.
Zambart is implementing the Global Burden Estimation of Human Papillomavirus (GLOBE-HPV) Study as part of a multi-country study involving 5 countries in South Sahara Africa and 3 in South Asia. In Zambia, the study aims to estimate the prevalence of HPV 16 and/or 18 infection among girls and women aged 9–50 years in both rural and urban settings, and the incidence of persistent HPV 16 and/or 18 infection among women living with HIV aged 15 to 35 years over a two-year period. The GLOBE-HPV Study is a five-year project (2023–2027) being conducted in Chongwe and Lusaka Districts. Its goal is to inform national strategies for cervical cancer prevention and control by improving understanding of the HPV burden in Zambia.
Recently, the GLOBE-HPV study team hosted a local stakeholder dissemination meeting to share preliminary findings. The early results revealed several important insights including: Low knowledge and uptake of the HPV vaccine persist, particularly in urban sites, women living with HIV are twice as likely to have high-risk HPV 16/18 compared to those not living with HIV, older women (above 20 years) are more likely to have high-risk HPV 16/18 infections than younger women (below 20 years) and finally community engagement has proven essential in bridging research efforts with real-life public health needs.Top of Form
Stakeholders provided valuable feedback, including the need to expand and focus cervical cancer screening efforts for all women and to consider transitioning from the quadrivalent (4-valent) to the nonavalent (9-valent) HPV vaccine to broaden protection against additional HPV strains.