Acquisition, prevalence and clearance of type-specific human papillomavirus infections in young sexually active Indian women: a community-based multicentric cohort study

In a new study, scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partners in the Indian HPV Vaccine Study Group assessed type-specific prevalence, natural history, and potential determinants of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in 1484 unvaccinated married women aged 18–23 years. The study was published in the journal PLoS One.

Cervical samples were collected each year for at least four consecutive years from women in seven different states in India, and the samples were tested for 21 different HPV types. During the 6-year study period, 36.4% of the women were found to be infected with at least one of these types; HPV types 16 and 31 were detected most commonly. The acquisition rate of new HPV infections was 5.6 per 1000 person–months of observation; the highest acquisition rate was observed for HPV16. The 4-year cumulative probabilities of clearance of infection were 97.6% for HPV16 and/or HPV18, 99.0% for HPV31, HPV33, and/or HPV45, and 97.6% for other oncogenic types.

This study clearly shows that young Indian women are at high risk of being infected with HPV, especially HPV16, the most oncogenic type. This is a compelling reason for the Government of India to introduce HPV vaccination in the country, which currently accounts for one fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer.

Muwonge R, Basu P, Gheit T, Anantharaman D, Verma Y, Bhatla N, et al.
Acquisition, prevalence and clearance of type-specific human papillomavirus infections in young sexually active Indian women: a community-based multicentric cohort study
PLoS One; Published online 29 December 2020;
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244242

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