HPV Vaccination Coverage: Problems and Challenges

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Papillomavirus Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 1527

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Dental Public Health and Policy, School of Dentistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 520 N. 12th St, Box 980566, Richmond, VA 23298-0566, USA.
Interests: HPV vaccine; vaccination; medical-dental integration; health policies

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Guest Editor
Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Interests: infection; immunity; global health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Interests: human papillomavirus vaccines; immunogenicity; correlates of protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is highly prevalent, and high-risk HPV strains can cause cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, vaginal, penile, and vulvar cancers. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, and oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) prevalence has only been rising. Moreover, OPCs are 2–5 times more common among men than women. HPV vaccines are safe and effective and can prevent over 90% of these cancers, but their uptake is suboptimal. Thus, improving HPV vaccination is essential to reduce mortality and morbidity due to HPV-associated cancers and related inequities.

There are various national and global objectives aligned to increase HPV vaccination rates. As a result, these have seen improvement over the years. However, they still remain significantly lower than regularly required vaccines, pointing to unique challenges specific to the HPV vaccine. This Special Issue therefore aims to discuss these challenges at various levels across settings, geography, and populations, as well as identify strategies to improve HPV vaccine availability, distribution, and uptake.

Dr. Shillpa Naavaal
Dr. Zheng Quan Toh
Dr. Paul Licciardi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • HPV vaccine
  • vaccine uptake
  • vaccination strategies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 230 KiB  
Article
HPV Vaccines Among University Students: Understanding Barriers and Facilitators of Vaccine Uptake
by Sana Malik, K. Olivia Mock, Rose Martillotti, Giuseppina Caravella, Xicheng Zhou, Matthew Mbamelu and Kathleen H. Scarbrough
Vaccines 2024, 12(12), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12121385 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 997
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and plays a significant role in cervical, penile, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal cancers as well as non-cancerous genital warts and genital dysplasia. In the United States, there are approximately 46,000 new HPV-related [...] Read more.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and plays a significant role in cervical, penile, anal, vaginal, vulvar, and oropharyngeal cancers as well as non-cancerous genital warts and genital dysplasia. In the United States, there are approximately 46,000 new HPV-related cancers a year. There is an effective vaccine to prevent over 90% of these cancers and other HPV-related diseases; however, those that are aged 18–26 have the lowest vaccine rates among eligible age groups. The objective of this study was to examine student knowledge and perceptions about HPV vaccine hesitancy in university students and their notions of barriers and facilitators for HPV vaccine uptake. We aimed to identify components for an evidence-based community-oriented educational intervention to increase HPV vaccination uptake. The researchers recorded 10 focus groups featuring students from a Northeastern United States university, aged 18–26, which were analyzed using grounded theory and inductive thematic analysis to identify recurring themes. The participants mentioned many barriers and facilitators for attaining the HPV vaccine, with health literacy being prominent for both. They demonstrated some knowledge of what HPV is and ways to avoid it. They also expressed a desire for further information and felt that the way in which this information is presented to the public is vital for increasing vaccine uptake and designing future interventions. In order to increase HPV vaccination rates in the general population and overcome barriers such as family, religious, and cultural values, it is important to emphasize the link between HPV and cancer and its preventative benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HPV Vaccination Coverage: Problems and Challenges)
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