Awareness of Human Paipiloma Virus and Cervical Cancer Amongst the Females of Entitled Workers

Abstract

Objectives: According to the Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers, Fact Sheet 20241,2, current estimates show that 5,008 women in Pakistan receive a cervical cancer diagnosis each year, and 3,197 of them pass away from the illness. In Pakistan, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women aged 15 to 44 and the third most common cancer overall. Cervical HPV-16/18 infection is thought to affect 0.5% of women in the general population at any given time, and HPVs 16 or 18 are responsible for 88.1% of invasive cervical malignancies. Materials and methods: This study was conducted in Social Security hospital, I-12 Islamabad. The data was gathered by using a questionnaire adapted from one of the similar studies3 and piloted at one of the referral units of this hospital. The population selected was families of the industrial workers that are entitled at this hospital. The data collection through questionnaire was performed by Women Medical Officers working in the health care facility and the data was entered in the SPSS version 28 for analysis and results. Sample size calculated by using open epi was 73 against the population of 61294 patients registered with the health care facility. Interviews were conducted between July to November 2025 at Social Security Hospital, I-12 Islamabad. Results: The findings reveal a significant gap in fundamental knowledge, with very low reported awareness of the HPV virus (5.5%) and cervical cancer (9.6%) among the respondents who answered these questions (N=73). Knowledge of the direct link between HPV and cancer is also low (12.3%). However, the survey participants demonstrated a relatively high perceived awareness of potential cervical cancer symptoms, particularly “vaginal bleeding after menopause” (89.0% of respondents believed it was a sign). This suggests that while specific etiological knowledge (HPV) is lacking, general symptom recognition is stronger. The data strongly indicates an urgent need for targeted public health campaigns to improve basic awareness of HPV, its link to cervical cancer, and its mode of transmission