This archive report was first published on 19 November 2021.
On November 17, 2021, at the 34th International Papillomavirus Conference in Toronto, Kenyan researchers and scientists presented a new single-dose HPV vaccine, which they described as 'highly-effective.'
According to an analysis published in March in Preventive Medicine, only 15% of women are vaccinated against HPV. However, a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of 2,275 women in Kenya showed that a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was highly effective.
The trial, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, involved researchers from the KEMRI Center for Clinical Research in Thika, the KEMRI Center for Medical Research in Kisumu, Kenya, the University of Washington Mombasa Lab in Mombasa, the International Clinical Research Center at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Dr. Nelly Mugo, co-principal investigator on the study and senior principal clinical research scientist with the Center for Clinical Research at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, observed, 'This trial brings new energy to the elimination of cervical cancer. It brings great hope to the women living in countries like Kenya, who have a high burden of the disease.'
Dr. Ruanne Barnabas, principal investigator of the trial and a professor of global health at the University of Washington School of Medicine, noted that the KEN-SHE trial could help the World Health Organization (WHO) reach its goal to have 90% of 15-year-old girls vaccinated against HPV by 2030.
She observed, 'The single-dose vaccine was highly effective at 18 months for HPV vaccination. The single-dose efficacy was the same as multiple doses.'
The trial involved women 15 to 20 years old who were randomly assigned a therapy and followed from December 2018 to June 2021. The majority of participants (57%) were between 15 and 17 years old, and most reported one lifetime sexual partner (61%).
KEMRI acting director general, Professor Sam Kariuki, hailed the researchers, stating, 'These findings are a gamechanger that may substantially reduce the incidence of HPV-attributable cervical cancer and positions single-dose HPV vaccination as a high value and high impact public health intervention that is within reach for us.'
According to researchers, the desire to see the Cervical Cancer ward at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) empty was a big inspiration.
