Prevalence of HPV infection among Thai schoolgirls in the north-eastern provinces in 2018: implications for HPV immunization policy

Sompong Vongpunsawad; Chulwoo Rhee; Pornjarim Nilyanimit; Nimesh Poudyal; Suchada Jiamsiri; Hyeon Seon Ahn; Jinae Lee; Hyeong-Won Seo; Worrawan Klinsupa; Sunju Park; Nakorn Premsri; Chawetsan Namwat; Patummal Silaporn; Jean-Louis Excler; Deok-Ryun Kim; Lauri E Markowitz; Elizabeth R Unger; Supachai Rerks-Ngarm; Julia Lynch; Yong Poovorawan

doi:10.1016/j.ijregi.2023.02.011

Prevalence of HPV infection among Thai schoolgirls in the north-eastern provinces in 2018: implications for HPV immunization policy

IJID Reg. 2023 Mar 4:7:110-115. doi: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2023.02.011. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Sompong Vongpunsawad¹, Chulwoo Rhee², Pornjarim Nilyanimit¹, Nimesh Poudyal², Suchada Jiamsiri³, Hyeon Seon Ahn², Jinae Lee², Hyeong-Won Seo², Worrawan Klinsupa³, Sunju Park², Nakorn Premsri⁴, Chawetsan Namwat³, Patummal Silaporn³, Jean-Louis Excler², Deok-Ryun Kim², Lauri E Markowitz⁵, Elizabeth R Unger⁵, Supachai Rerks-Ngarm³, Julia Lynch², Yong Poovorawan¹

Affiliations

¹ Centers of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
² International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
⁴ National Vaccine Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁵ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of high-risk (HR) and vaccine-type human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among Thai schoolgirls who were not included in the national HPV immunization program.

Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted among grade 10 (15-16 years old) and grade 12 (17-18 years old) schoolgirls in two provinces of Thailand. Urine samples were collected using the Colli-Pee^Ⓡ device from November 2018 to February 2019. The samples were initially tested using Cobas^Ⓡ 4800. Subsequently, all Cobas-positive samples and 1:1 matched Cobas-negative samples were tested by Anyplex^Ⓡ assay. Prevalences of any HPV, any HR HPV, vaccine-type HPV, and individual HR HPV types were estimated by school grade.

Results: Prevalences of any HPV and any HR HPV were 11.6% and 8.6% for grade 10, and 18.5% and 12.4% for grade 12 schoolgirls, respectively. Prevalences of bivalent vaccine-type HPV infection in grades 10 and 12 were 3.4% and 4.5%, respectively. Prevalences of quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccine-type HPV infections were 4.0%/6.6% and 6.4%/10.4% in grades 10 and 12, respectively. HPV16 was the most common type detected, followed by HPV58, 51, and 52. Circulating HR HPV types were similar between the school grades.

Conclusion: A substantial burden of HR HPV infections was found among unvaccinated high school girls in Thailand.

Keywords: Thailand; genotype distribution; human papillomavirus; prevalence.