Challenges and Opportunities in the Eradication of HPV: Education, Immunization, and Early Diagnosis

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) remains a major global public health challenge, especially because of its association with cervical cancer. Although HPV vaccination has been shown to be highly effective in reducing the incidence of persistent infections and precursor cancerous lesions, eradication of the virus continues to face significant obstacles. The combination of educational strategies, increased vaccination coverage and early diagnosis is essential to reverse this scenario. These obstacles, such as limited educational level, low knowledge of the human papillomavirus and difficulties associated with work schedules, increased the likelihood of not attending to receive the test report. The likelihood that a patient will come for her Pap test report increases significantly when she is knowledgeable about cervical cancer and has heard about its causative agent, human papillomavirus (HPV).