Prevalence of high-risk HPV among marginalized urban women in India and its implications on vaccination: A cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVE

To discover the prevalence and distribution of high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) subtypes in urban slums and their implications.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed to discover prevalence and distribution of high-risk HPV subtypes. We screened 956 women. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.25. Inclusion criterion was married women between 30 and 45 years of age. Exclusion criteria were women with known cervical cancer at the time of the survey or those who had undergone hysterectomy.

RESULTS

Of the women, 32.47% were HPV positive and of these, about 84.50% were positive for high-risk HPV. HPV type 6 (HPV 6) and HPV 11 were not seen in the population. After HPV 16 and HPV 18, type 58 was the most common variant seen in our study. Currently-used vaccines in India do not cover HPV 58.

CONCLUSION

Knowing and understanding the distribution of high-risk HPV are necessary for an effective strategy to eliminate cervical cancer from India. Deoxyribonucleic acid-based HPV screening is a useful method along with vaccination to prevent cervical cancer.