HPV Test Positivity and Early Detection of Pre-Invasive Cervical Lesions at Punta Gorda Polyclinic, Toledo District, Belize, 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61997/bjm.v15i1.500Keywords:
HPV, Cervical cancer, Human papillomavirusAbstract
Introduction: Cervical cancer is highly preventable and is primarily caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), with HPV DNA testing serving as a key tool for early detection. Objective: To determine HPV test positivity and associated factors among women attending the Punta Gorda Polyclinic, Toledo District, Belize, in 2024. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted including 87 women who underwent HPV DNA testing as part of routine cervical cancer screening. Sociodemographic variables, risk factors, and HPV-related outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: Overall HPV positivity was 64.4%, indicating a high burden of infection in the study population. HPV positivity was significantly higher among women older than 35 years (p < 0.001), and notable differences were observed across ethnic groups, with higher positivity among Maya women (p = 0.013). Genotype analysis showed a predominance of other high-risk HPV types (57.1%), followed by HPV-16 (25%) and HPV-18 (17.9%). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate a high prevalence of HPV infection among women screened at the primary care level. The results support the use of HPV DNA testing as a primary screening strategy and reinforce the importance of HPV vaccination programs tailored to the local epidemiological context, in line with World Health Organization goals for cervical cancer prevention.
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