Ghana on the journey to eliminating HPV-related diseases

On Tuesday 25th July 2023, the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) Chapter in Ghana was launched under the theme “United Efforts Toward the Elimination of HPV-Related Diseases: Ghana’s Journey”. This key milestone for the Chapter was attended by over 90 stakeholders from various governmental and non-governmental institutions within and outside of Ghana.

There are hundreds of human papillomavirus (HPV) strains, over a dozen of which have been identified as high-risk strains causing various HPV-related cancers including cancers of the cervix, penis, vulva, vagina, anus, and oropharynx. During the launch of the Chapter, Professor Anna R. Giuliano, a renowned Cancer Epidemiologist and the IPVS President-Elect, in her keynote address pointed to the fact that HPV causes about 5% of all cancers globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people who are actively involved in sexual activity will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives (WHO, 2019).

This presents a societal health risk that requires serious attention and intervention. HPV infection-related diseases are preventable. However, many people die from these diseases each year. For example, globally, nearly a thousand women die of cervical cancer each day. In Ghana, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women (4th most common globally). The Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimate that 10.6 million women over the age of 14 years are at risk of cervical cancer, with 2800 being diagnosed and 1700 dying of cervical cancer in Ghana each year (ICO/IARC, 2023).

With the rising incidence of HPV-related diseases and cervical cancer in particular, WHO has adopted a global strategy towards its elimination as a public problem by 2030, with a target to bring the incidence rate below 4 cases per 100,000 women. Consequently, it is recommended that by 2030: 90% of girls are fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age; 70% of women between the ages of 35 and 45 years are screened for cervical precancer; and 90% of women identified with cervical disease are treated.

The current membership of the Ghana IPVS chapter is over 150, being second to only that of the United States of America Chapter. This is impressive as it directly speaks to a collective effort to eliminate HPV-related diseases in Ghana. The IPVS Country Ambassadors, Dr Edward T. Dassah, Prof. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, and Dr Emmanuel Timmy Donkoh, commended the efforts of individuals and specialized units/groups for their roles in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of cervical cancer in the country.

While Ghana has successfully conducted pilot projects on HPV vaccination for adolescent girls in selected regions over a decade ago, HPV vaccination has not been implemented at scale in the country. Noting the need for a concerted effort for the elimination of cervical cancer in Ghana, Dr Dassah acknowledged that the launch of the IPVS Ghana Chapter is a clarion call to action. This was emphasized by key stakeholders present at the launch, such as the director for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Ghana, representatives from the Medical Women Association of Ghana (MWAG), WHO Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) NCD.

The Chapter of IPVS will collaborate with stakeholders from academia, the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, WHO, and Civil Society Organizations to heighten awareness of HPV-related diseases, research and getting policy into practice. This will ultimately lead to the attainment of the global targets for the elimination of cervical cancer by 2030, obviously the right thing to do.