HPV Vaccine Uptake

Healthcare provider recommendation was the most frequently cited reason for vaccinating, reported by 28% of caregivers of vaccinated daughters. HPV vaccine uptake in Harari was below the WHO 90% target for cervical cancer elimination. Residing in Sacatepéquez was the only significant predictor of vaccine uptake in bivariate analysis; Indigenous identity, age, literacy, and home language were not significant predictors. Harari's HPV vaccine uptake was broadly similar to findings from other Ethiopian studies. Just over half of vaccinated participants had completed the full two-dose HPV vaccine course. Among 404 in-school adolescent girls in Harari, 49.26% had received at least one HPV vaccine dose. Of participants with daughters over age eight, only 33.7% reported that at least one daughter had received the HPV vaccine; 66.3% had not. High self-reported willingness to vaccinate (95%) may be inflated by social desirability bias. Lack of knowledge about the vaccine was the dominant reason for non-vaccination, cited by 77% of non-vaccinators.