Human Papillomavirus: Appraising the Vaccine Utilization among Young females in Anambra State

Abstract

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the female population and is the most common genital cancer. The rate at which women suffer from cervical cancer in developing countries is increasing on daily basis and Nigeria is no exception. This inspired the study to investigate factors affecting the uptake of Human Papillomavirus vaccines among young females in Anambra state, Nigeria. Six Focus Group Discussions involving young females of 9 – 26 years were conducted in Awka, Nnewi, and Onitsha. A total of 60 respondents were used for the study. The study revealed that there were limited knowledge of the HPV vaccine among the respondents, hence, uptake of the vaccine was poor in the study population. The cost of the HPV vaccine, culture/religious influences were among the factors militating against the uptake of the vaccine. The result also highlighted possible ways of promoting HPV vaccine uptake which include subsidization of the vaccine cost or making it free, and prioritization of the vaccine and making it available in all hospital. In conclusion, there is need for social workers to engage in awareness creation on the important of utilizing HPV vaccine and also encourage parents to vaccinate their girl children.