Awareness and perception of human papilloma virus vaccine among healthcare professionals in Nigeria

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer and cervical cancer is largely a vaccine-preventable disease. The aim of the study was to document the knowledge of healthcare professionals of the HPV vaccine and its acceptability. It was a cross-sectional study in three of the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, carried out between June 2010 and January 2011. The 602 adult Nigerian respondents were made up of 147 (24.4%) males and 455 (75.6%) females aged 20-57 years, with a mean of 34.3 ± 7.9 years; most were under 40 years (70.1%) and married (n = 394; 65.5%). In total, 548 (91%) were aware of HPV; 83.4% knew HPV as an STI; 78.2% knew HPV can cause cervical cancer but only 265 (44.0%) were aware of the HPV vaccine. Among the healthcare professionals studied, nurses were the least aware of the existence of the HPV vaccine (χ2 = 1.54, p = 0.001). A total of 489 (81.0%) would approve HPV vaccine for their teenage daughters. The men were more likely to accept the vaccination of their daughters than the women (χ2 = 14.76, p = 0.002). The unmarried were more favourably disposed to vaccination of teenagers than the married (χ2 = 27.37, p = 0.001). Safety concerns were the commonest reasons expressed by the 7% who were reluctant to accept the vaccination of their teenage daughters. In conclusion, healthcare providers are the custodians of health in a community, yet have low knowledge of a vaccine that can prevent the commonest cancer in women in sub-Saharan Africa.