HealthDay News — According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children aged 14 and younger only require 2 doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as opposed to the previously recommended 3 doses.
The new advice is based on a review of data from clinical trials and recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Only 2 doses of HPV vaccine in children ages 9 to 14 were shown to trigger an immune response similar to or higher than the response in patients ages 16 to 26 who received 3 doses, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommended that 11- to 12-year-olds receive 2 doses of HPV vaccine at least 6 months apart. It also said teens 13 and 14 can be vaccinated on the 2-dose schedule. However, those who start receiving the vaccinations later — at ages 15 to 26 — still need 3 doses of the vaccine.
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“Safe, effective and long-lasting protection against HPV cancers with 2 visits instead of 3 means more Americans will be protected from cancer,” Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the CDC, said in an agency news release. “This recommendation will make it simpler for parents to get their children protected in time.”
Reference
CDC Recommends Only Two HPV Shots for Younger Adolescents [press release]. Atlanta, GA: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; October 19, 2016.
