A Filipino-led study has found that one in seven Filipinas is likely to test positive for human papillomavirus (HPV), a significant public health concern with urgent implications for vaccination and screening strategies nationwide.
Spearheaded by the University of the Philippines Manila, the Defeat HPV Study aimed to update the country’s 28-year-old HPV infection statistics — data that has long guided the nation’s prevention efforts, including its vaccine strategy.
Presented by Dr. Ourlad Tantengco, co-investigator of the study, the research tracked over 1,100 women from both urban Tondo, Manila, and rural Naic, Cavite, offering a broad picture of HPV prevalence in the Philippines.
Dr. Tantengco performed pelvic exams and collected cervicovaginal samples to investigate HPV prevalence, sexually transmitted infections, and the microbiome and metabolome linked to HPV persistence in Filipino women.
“You can’t fight today’s public health threats with outdated data,” says Dr. Tantengco. “It’s like trying to install new apps on an old phone — it will freeze or crash.” That’s what happens when we rely on data from 1998 to fight today’s HPV.
New findings, new urgency
One of the study’s most crucial findings: HPV type 52 is now the most common high-risk genotype among Filipinas, overtaking HPV types 16 and 18 — the strains historically targeted by national vaccination programs.
In Tondo, 15.1 percent of women tested positive for HPV, with over 23 percent of those cases involving multiple genotypes. In Naic, 12.8 percent tested positive, and one in four of those women was infected with more than one strain.
Alarmingly, HPV infections are rising even among women with no cervical abnormalities. Dr. Tantengco emphasizes the importance of understanding that HPV comes in many types. “Just like dogs have different breeds, HPV has different genotypes. Some are harmless, others cause genital warts, and high-risk types can lead to cervical, vaginal, vulvar — even throat cancers.”
A call to rethink vaccination strategy
The Department of Health currently provides free quadrivalent HPV vaccines to girls aged nine to 14, covering four HPV types. However, the findings suggest this may no longer be sufficient.
“We need to re-evaluate our vaccine strategy,” Dr. Tantengco points out. “The nonavalent vaccine, which protects against nine HPV strains including HPV-52, is a more logical choice — but it’s less accessible and more expensive.”
Women under 30 were shown to be particularly vulnerable, with infection rates as high as 30 percent in this age group, many carrying high-risk types like 16, 18, and 52.
HPV is the cause of 90-95 percent of cervical cancer cases, and in the Philippines, cervical cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
From data to action
The study’s researchers are now urging policymakers to consider transitioning to broader-coverage vaccines and updating national screening guidelines.
“We finally have local, up-to-date, and science-backed data,” Dr. Tantengco emphasizes. “Now it’s time to act — with smarter vaccine strategies and improved access.”
And that’s how we can move closer to eliminating cervical cancer in the Philippines.
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