Gangtok

Researchers are evaluating the impact of HPV vaccination on preventing cervical HPV infection among women aged 18 to 22 years in Sikkim, India. The study aims to monitor the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in real-world conditions at least seven years after the vaccination program began. This research will provide important feedback to Indian public health authorities about how well the HPV vaccine reduces infections and related diseases like cervical cancer. This is an observational study where investigators will collect cervical samples from married women within the specified age range at different times. Participants will visit the gynecology outpatient department once, provide informed consent, and complete a questionnaire about their socio-demographic details, sexual history, and HPV vaccination status. A gynecologist will then collect cervical cells for testing specific HPV genotypes and Chlamydia infection. During the study, researchers will measure the reduction in HPV infections and chlamydia prevalence by comparing data collected at baseline and seven years after vaccination started. Women will be assessed once, and samples will be analyzed to determine vaccine impact and herd immunity effects. The study focuses on women aged 18 to 22 years, monitoring infection rates to understand the vaccine's population-level benefits.