Cervical cancer is the commonest cancer in women from low income countries and is the leading cause of years of life lost from cancer in many parts of the developing world. Unlike many developed countries, HPV screening programmes in developing countries are limited in scale or simply not available, leading to late presentation of cervical cancer. Renewed hope for cervical cancer control has recently come from vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) which is the primary cause of cervical cancer and associated cervical lesions.
Tanzania has one of the highest incidences of cervical cancer globally and is currently developing a National Cervical Cancer Control Strategy which aims to introduce HPV vaccine to school girls. However, policy makers in Tanzania need information on the most suitable target population for vaccination, the feasibility of different school-based delivery strategies and data on the acceptability and cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination.
This project will examine some of the key issues that will inform the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) about the feasibility of a school-based HPV vaccination program in Tanzania.