A recent cervical cancer screening initiative in Ghana has revealed that 23.8% of nuns tested positive for high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer.
This study was conducted under mPharma’s “10,000 Women Initiative,” which aims to provide free HPV testing to women in Ghana and Nigeria in response to the rising cervical cancer cases. According to Gavi’s report, of the 105 nuns screened, 25 were found to have high-risk HPV.
Challenging misconceptions
Nuns are not typically considered an at-risk group for cervical cancer, partly due to the widespread belief that HPV is exclusively transmitted through sexual contact. As a result, nuns and other religious groups are often excluded from routine HPV screenings in some countries.
The initiative provided self-collection kits to nuns in convents across the Greater Accra, Volta, and Central regions of Ghana. Those who tested positive for HPV were offered further diagnostic procedures, including Pap smears and colposcopies, with two individuals showing clinically relevant changes. However, follow-up tests suggested both were in good health.
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“Our primary aim was to offer cervical cancer prevention services to a group that might have been overlooked,” said the researchers involved in the study.
Dr. Kofi Effah, head of the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre at the Catholic Hospital in Battor, Ghana, emphasized that this finding challenges the assumption that nuns are at lower risk of HPV infection. He highlighted the use of bulb syringes (bentua), a common practice in Ghana where these tools are shared among family members, including children, as a possible transmission route.
Broader implications
HPV, though commonly linked to sexual transmission, can also be spread through non-sexual means. In rare instances, the virus may be passed from mother to child during childbirth if the mother has genital warts. Other potential transmission routes include the sharing of traditional devices like bulb syringes, which are frequently used for enemas in West African households.
HPV has been detected on surfaces such as toilet seats, medical instruments, and even fingertips, according to Professor Alan Nyitray from the Medical College of Wisconsin. While sexual transmission remains the primary mode, non-sexual contact, including hand-to-genital contact, has also been identified as a possible means of transmission, although not definitively proven.
These findings underscore the importance of inclusive HPV screening and prevention efforts, regardless of perceived risk levels.
