Differences in patterns of high-risk human papillomavirus infection between urban and rural low-resource settings: cross-sectional findings from Mali

Background The burden of cervical cancer is disproportionatelyhigh in low-resource settings. With limited implementation of human papillomavirus ( HPV) vaccineson the horizon in the developing world, reliable data on the epidemiology of high-risk HPV (HR- HPV) infectionin distinct geographic populations is essential to planners of vaccination programs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether urban patterns of HR-HPV occurrence can be generalized to rural areas of the same developing country, using data from Mali, West Africa, as an example.