Cervical cancer is the most common female cancer in northern Nigeria, yet the pattern of infection with human papillomavirus, the principal aetiologic agent is unknown. This was a preliminary study conducted in two referral hospitals in order to establish base-line data on the prevalence and risk factors for the infection in Kano state, Nigeria. Fifty (50) randomly selected women aged 18 years and above were recruited from gynaecology clinics in Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Aminu Kano teaching Hospital. Relevant sexual and socio-demographic information were obtained from each subject using a questionnaire. Exfoliated cervical cells were harvested and processed using Polymerase Chain Reaction to identify the DNAs of high-risk HPV types 16 and 18. The prevalence rate of HPV infection was 76% [(38/50) at 95% CI=61.8-86.9] with 60.5% (23/38) having co-infections with both HPV type 16 and 18. Risk factors of the infection include low literacy level; living in rural settlements; low parity; early menarche (<15 years of age); early onset of first sexual intercourse (≤16 years of age) and multiple sexual partners. There was however, no statistically significant association between oral contraceptive usage and acquisition of the infections. Findings of this study suggest a high prevalence of HPV types 16 and 18 among women attending gynaecology clinic in Kano and thus called for more elaborate community based study in order to establish the magnitude of the problem from wider perspective.

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of 90%–95% of squamous cell cancers. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV can lead to development of precancerous lesions of the cervix in 5%–10% of infected women, and can progress to invasive cervical cancer 15–20 years later. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of HPV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies among women of reproductive age attending a reproductive health clinic at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria.MethodsThe study was descriptive, cross-sectional, and experimental, combining the use of a structured questionnaire and analysis of serum samples obtained from 350 consecutive consenting women. The serum samples were analyzed for IgG antibodies to HPV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsWe found a seroprevalence of 42.9% (150/350) for IgG antibodies to HPV in these women. Women aged 45–49 years and those who had their sexual debut aged 20–23 years had the highest HPV seroprevalence, ie, 50% (57/114) and 51.1% (46/90), respectively. Presence of antibodies varied according to sociodemographic factors, but was significantly associated with educational status, tribe, and religion (P<0.05). Human papillomavirus infection was not significantly associated with the reproductive characteristics and sexual behavior of the women. Antibodies to HPV were detected in 50.0% (9/18) of women with a family history of cervical cancer and in 30.8% (4/13) of those with a history or signs of WHIM (warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, immunodeficiency, myelokathexis) syndrome as a genetic disorder (P>0.05).ConclusionFurther studies are needed to determine the HPV serotypes and evaluate the risk of natural development of HPV-related malignancies among women in the study area.

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Analysis of prevalence and risk factors for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the basis for prophylactic strategies against HPV infections. This study was to determine the seroprevalence of human papillomavirus, sociodemographic and risk factors associated with acquiring the virus among the study population. A total of 195 samples were collected by simple random sampling technique from three major hospitals in the zone. Serum from blood samples was used for ELISA and analyzed for IgM. Overall prevalence of 3.08% (6/195) was established for HPV infection. Patients with early sexual activity and those with multiple sexual partners were likely to be infected than their counterparts with 15.8%: 3/19 (χ 2 =16.4, df=3, p=0.001) and 50%: 2/4 (χ 2 =30.2, df=1, p=0.005) respectively. The infection was more among those who got married at age range of 26-30 years with prevalence of 5.4%: 2/37 (χ 2 =1.30, df = 5, p=0.82). On the basis of sex, female were found to have higher prevalence of 3.6%: 6/167(χ 2 =1.04, df = 1, p=0.6). Subjects with sexually transmitted disease (STD) had a higher prevalence of 8%: 2/25(χ 2 =2.45, df=2, p=0.32). The study shows that infection with HPV was strongly associated with age of sexual debut and number of sexual partners. It also reveals the occurrence of HPV infection in Kogi East, Nigeria. Hence, there is need for routine screening, public education and vaccination to prevent the spread of the virus which is a threat to public health.