All women are at risk of developing cervical cancer. The Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) is the leading cause of anogenital cancers worldwide. Cervical cancer tops the chart as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Approximately 600,000 cases were reported in 2020, and 300,000 women succumbed to the disease worldwide. In Kenya, approximately 5,000 cases are reported annually with about 3,000 deaths.
The HPV vaccine protects women against types 16 and 18 which are responsible for 70% of cancer cases. The vaccine uptake in Kenya has been low since its introduction in late 2019, with records showing about 30% of the targeted population received the first dose in 2020 and only half of that number went back for the second dose.
In this piece, we look into the factors which contribute to the low vaccine uptake.
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