Peer-reviewed article
From community mobilisation to school vaccination: experiences from Cameroon's first Expanded Programme on Immunisation-led school-based HPV campaign.
Haddison E, Nebongo D, Amponsah-Dacosta E ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Cameroon conducted its first school-based HPV vaccination campaign in 2023 across nine districts, reaching 300 schools and over 44,000 people through community engagement. Nearly 9,400 girls and 5,000 boys aged 9-14 years were vaccinated against HPV in schools, with approximately 48% coverage among identified eligible adolescents. The campaign demonstrates that school-based delivery combined with community mobilisation is feasible and can improve HPV vaccine uptake compared to previous facility and community-based approaches. Multisectoral coordination between health, education and community leaders was essential to the campaign's success.
Key points
- 300 schools participated (245 primary, 55 secondary) across nine districts in four regions
- Community sensitisation reached 44,118 people and preceded school vaccination activities
- Coverage of approximately 48% achieved among identified adolescents (9,392 girls and 4,963 boys vaccinated)
- Both quadrivalent and nonavalent HPV vaccines were administered in schools
- Misclassification of previous vaccinees affected accurate coverage calculation
Limitations
The study does not report on reasons for non-uptake among the 52% of identified adolescents who were not vaccinated, nor does it compare outcomes with facility and community-based approaches quantitatively. Longer-term follow-up on completion of vaccine schedules and sustainability of the school-based model is not discussed.
Abstract
Background The HPV vaccine was introduced into Cameroon's Expanded Programme on Immunisation in 2020 targeting 9 year-old girls and later boys in 2023, however, implementation has relied mainly on community-and facility-based strategies, resulting in low coverage rates. School-based vaccination is an effective strategy for reaching adolescents; however, it had not previously been implemented nationally. This study describes the implementation and outcomes of the first EPI-led school-based HPV vaccination campaign in Cameroon. Methods The campaign was conducted in nine districts across the Centre, Littoral, South and West regions. A multisectoral coordination committee oversaw planning and implementation. Community engagement activities, school-based health talks and door-to-door sensitisation, were conducted prior to vaccination. Vaccination teams administered either quadrivalent or nonavalent HPV vaccines in schools. School participation and vaccination coverage among eligible adolescents were documented. Results A total of 300 schools participated, including 245 primary schools (79%) and 55 secondary schools (63%). Community sensitisation activities reached 44,118 people, while 816 individuals attended community engagement meetings. Among adolescents identified by social mobilisers, 13,189 girls aged 9-14 years and 10,300 boys aged 9-11 years were identified. Of these, 9392 girls (48.3%) and 4963 boys (48.2%) received the HPV vaccine. Misclassifying previous vaccinees as part of the denominator contributed to underestimation of coverage. Conclusion This campaign demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a school-based HPV vaccination programme in Cameroon supported by strong community engagement and multisectoral collaboration. Integrating schools into HPV vaccination strategies could significantly improve adolescent vaccine uptake and contribute to cervical cancer prevention efforts.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- School-based HPV vaccination campaign integrated with community mobilisation, school health talks, door-to-door sensitisation and multisectoral coordination
- Population
- Girls aged 9-14 years and boys aged 9-11 years in nine districts across Centre, Littoral, South and West regions of Cameroon
Key finding
300 schools successfully participated in the vaccination campaign (245 primary schools, 55 secondary schools)
E et al. · Europe PMC · 17 Jun 2026