The challenge of identifying eligible girls for HPV vaccination: HPV mapping data verification in Malawi

Maternal Experiences With Human Papillomavirus and Vaccination Rates in Children—The Sound of Salience

“…However, international data may indirectly support salience bias, or simply salience of the consequences of HPV infection. A recent study in Malawi on HPV vaccination roll-out in girls aged 9 years found the number of girls registered for vaccination was significantly higher than the National Statistical Office’s estimate of 9-year-olds in the population; in fact, nearly 50% of registered girls were out of the target age group. Because 45% of cancers in Malawi are cervical cancer, parents may have a bias—a salience bias—to enroll their daughters for vaccination despite the narrow age target implemented by the government’s immunization program.…”