Recent screenings for cervical cancer have uncovered that a notable 23.8% of nuns in Ghana have tested positive for high-risk Human Papillomavirus, a major contributor to cervical cancer.
This finding emerged from the ‘10,000 Women Initiative’ by mPharma, which aims to provide free HPV testing to women in Ghana and Nigeria to address the rising incidence of cervical cancer.
The study, reported by Gavi, involved 105 nuns, 25 of whom tested positive for high-risk HPV.
Traditionally, nuns and other religious groups are not considered at high risk for HPV, largely due to the misconception that the virus is solely spread through sexual contact.
This assumption has led to a lack of screening for these populations in some countries.
As part of the initiative, self-collection kits were distributed to nuns in convents across Greater Accra, Volta, and Central regions of Ghana.
Those who tested positive were offered further diagnostic procedures, such as Pap smears and colposcopies. Clinically relevant changes were detected in two individuals, though follow-up tests confirmed they were in good health.
The head of the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre at the Catholic Hospital in Battor, Ghana, Dr. Kofi Effah, emphasized that this finding challenges the long-standing belief that nuns are at lower risk for HPV.
“Our main aim was to provide cervical cancer prevention services to a group that might have been overlooked,” Dr. Effah said, underscoring the importance of regular screening for all women.
Research indicates that HPV can be transmitted through non-sexual means. Nuns, like other religious women, may face barriers to screening, and there is often a lack of awareness among medical professionals about the risk for these populations, leading to misinformation and stigma.
While HPV is commonly associated with sexual transmission, it can also spread through non-sexual means. In rare instances, it can be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth if the mother has genital warts.
Additionally, traditional practices, such as sharing bulb syringes for enemas, may pose a risk in some West African households.
According to Prof. Alan Nyitray of the Medical College of Wisconsin, HPV can be found on common surfaces and even on people’s fingertips. While non-penetrative activities like hand-to-genital contact could potentially spread the virus, definitive proof of casual transmission is still lacking.
Understanding these varied transmission routes highlights the need for comprehensive HPV screening and prevention efforts across all populations.
