IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

Background: The Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) have witnessed a rise in the prevalence of HPV infections and cervical cancer incidence in recent years. Research revealed that integrating HPV vaccination (HPVV) into School Health Programmes had a proactive safeguard in preventing HPV-associated diseases. Objective: To identify HPV vaccination programmes implemented and tested in the GCC countries to evaluate these programme’s effectiveness, barriers, and enablers. Methods: From May 2023 to the third of July 2023, a search was conducted for Embase, Ovid (Medline), Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases and grey literature to identify peer-reviewed articles. The screening was conducted on Covidence. Results: Out of 280 relevant records, 51 articles were retained for extraction. The greatest uptake (up to >95%) for the HPVV was in Abu Dhabi, where a school-based approach was used. This achievement could be related to the substantial awareness campaigns among the public and parents. Low uptake for HPVV supplied via primary or private care in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait was determined (16% and 8.9%, respectively). The main barrier was a lack of knowledge about HPV infection, vaccine availability and the potentiality of developing cancers. In contrast, enablers included a strong personal inclination to receive the vaccine.
Conclusion: The most effective strategy for implementing HPVV was a school-based programme. The GCC governments must support integrating HPVV and health education into National School Health Vaccination programmes.
Keywords: Arab Gulf, Saudi Arabia or KSA, United Arab Emirates or UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and HPV papillomavirus vaccine or papillomavirus vaccine*