1 dose of cancer-preventing HPV vaccine has same impact as 2: study

Using one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is as effective in preventing cervical cancer as two or three doses, new research suggests.

Using one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is as effective in preventing cervical cancer as two or three doses, new research suggests.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday found that a single dose of HPV vaccine could prevent a similar number of cervical cancers, HPV infections and other HPV-related cancers as a two-dose program among men and women in Canada.

This is if vaccine protection remains high during ages of peak sexual activity, the study states.

The clinical data supporting this was strong for people aged nine to 20 years, said Dr. Chantal Sauvageau, study co-author and public health physician at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec.

“The study is showing that one-dose schedule with HPV vaccine would result in the same impact as two-or three-dose schedules in preventing infections and cancers and also (it’s) a more efficient way to be using these vaccines,” she told Global News in an interview.

Sauvageau is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s HPV Working Group, which proposed changes to vaccination schedules in Canada.

In July, NACI updated its recommendations for the HPV vaccine, strongly recommending one dose of the Gardasil-9 shot for Canadians aged nine to 20 years. A  two-dose regimen was previously recommended for this age group.

For Canadians aged 21 years and up, the recommendation is now two doses of the Gardasil-9 vaccine – down from three – given six months apart.