Prevalence of High-Risk HPV Infection in Community Women at Ho Chi Minh City in 2024: A Cross-Sectional Study with Self-Collect Sampling.

Objective: HPV infection is a major contributor to cervical cancer, a common type of cancer affecting Vietnamese women. To develop effective prevention strategies for cervical cancer, it is crucial to understand the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection in communities. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and distribution of HPV types among female residents in Ho Chi Minh City.

Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a self-collection method, involving 775 participants selected using a Probability Proportional to Size technique (PPS) between January and December 2024.

Results: The study found that 7.5% [95% CI: 5.6-9.3] of the 775 specimens tested positive for high-risk HPV infection, with HPV-16 accounting for 9.7%, HPV-18 for 3.2%, and other high-risk types for 87.1% (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 và 68). Compared to similar studies many years ago in Vietnam, the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection has not changed much. However, among high-risk HPV infections, the ratio of types 16 and 18 has decreased dramatically.

Conclusion: Findings from this investigation reveal that the high-risk HPV infection prevalence in Ho Chi Minh City communities is consistent with earlier research. Nevertheless, a significant change has been observed in the distribution of high-risk HPV genotypes. Specifically, the proportional representation of HPV types 16 and 18 within the high-risk HPV infection group has substantially diminished, now representing only approximately 30% of their prevalence a decade prior.