Grant: O.G: STBBI Res.: Beyond HIV/AIDS/Hep. C- STBBI other than HIV/hep. C (general)

While highly effective, the HPV preventative vaccine is not available or affordable to many people around the world, therefore, high rates of HPV infection remain globally. New approaches to a therapeutic vaccine are needed to cure existing HPV infections. Rate of cervical cancer is very high in Nairobi, Kenya. Sex workers can be highly stigmatized, and therefore are less likely to access prevention services. They are a key population for fight against STIs. That is why the Sex Worker Outreach Program has developed 10 clinics around Nairobi which focus just on sex workers, making their health the highest priority. The HPV vaccination is not widely available or affordable in this community and therefore represents a lack of equity in cancer prevention. During consultation meetings between researchers and community members, the women of this cohort have prioritized HPV research in their community. HPV is a pathogen identified in the federal STBBI Action Plan. This study will focus on understanding the determinants of health among sex workers in Nairobi Kenya. As most HPV infections, even the high-risk ones, are naturally cleared by the body, this indicates that other factors are necessary to cause infected cells to change to cancerous cells. Understanding how HPV infection persists can help inform the development of a therapeutic vaccine, which will help to cure HPV infection and prevent the development of cervical cancer among women who cannot naturally clear an infection of HPV. This grant will determine the factors that determine why an HPV infection may not be cleared naturally by the body. The goal of this study is to inform an HPV vaccine design which would prevent cervical cancer and provide health equity to women from low- and middle-income countries around the world in preventing cervical cancer.