Knowledge of pre-invasive cervical cancer and its prevention using HPV vaccine among first-year school of midwifery students, FMC Nguru, Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria

Background: Pre-invasive cervical cancer is a precursor of cervical carcinoma if left untreated it takes about ten to twenty years for the pre-invasive lesion to develop into cervical cancer. It starts from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, which constitutes CIN 1 CIN 2, and CIN 3, with the latter covering the entire thickness of the epithelium. The prevalence of pre-invasive cervical lesions was 7.7% in Makurdi north-central Nigeria, 4.8% in Zaria Northwestern Nigeria, and 7.7% in Egypt. Progressive infection with high-risk HPV in over 95% are associated with CIN and cancer of the cervix, fortunately, these viruses can be prevented using HPV vaccines if given appropriately and to the right population. Method: The study was a cross-sectional type aimed at exploring the knowledge of the participants on the pre-invasive cervical lesions and their prevention using the HPV vaccine using a semi-structured questionnaire in FMC Nguru. Results: The total number of participants was 29 (n=29). The mean age of the respondents was 20.9 +/-2. 8SD. Among the participants, 19 (65.5%) are aware that pre-malignant cervical cancer can progress to cancer of the cervix, and 9(31%) are aware that pre-malignant cervical lesions, can be asymptomatic. Only 13(44.8%) are aware that Human Papillomavirus is a risk factor for CIN whereas 21(72,4%) are aware that HPV can be prevented using a vaccine. Conclusion: There is good knowledge among the students on the pre-invasive cervical lesion of the cervix and its vaccine prevention, however, the majority are not aware that HPV is an important risk factor for CIN, hence more work needs to be done to enlighten the students on this to enhance the acceptability of the human papilloma vaccine.