Human papillomavirus vaccination in low-resource countries: lack of evidence to support vaccinating sexually active women

Abstract

Vaccines against the human papillomaviruses (HPV) that cause around 70% of cervical cancer cases worldwide are highly efficacious when administered before infection with the viruses, which occurs soon after initiation of sexual activity. Despite recommendations from key public health bodies that the primary target population for HPV vaccination should be young adolescent girls, numerous articles have suggested widening the target age group to include older adolescent girls and adult women. These articles cite evidence of efficacy and cost-effectiveness when making recommendations, and they rarely take into account the difficult resource-allocation issues faced by decision makers in low-income countries. Authors and sponsors of these articles are usually from high-income countries and sometimes include vaccine manufacturers. This review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of several types of evidence offered by these papers in support of vaccination of a broad age range of girls and women. It concludes that the greatest public health benefit and value for resources will come from vaccinating girls before sexual debut and exposure to HPV, particularly in low-resource areas.