Is it time to reassess the target age of HPV vaccination globally?
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41364592.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1093/cid/ciaf679.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
In 2022, 464,000 people died from HPV-related cancer. Despite the availability of safe and highly effective HPV vaccinations, global coverage is just 20% for girls and 7% for boys. We summarise the evidence for target vaccination age and find that vaccinating at age 9-10 years, the youngest end of WHO's recommended age range, has multiple advantages. Earlier vaccination increases the likelihood of vaccinating prior to HPV exposure; may reduce the impact of sex-associated stigma; and is logistically advantageous through enabling primary-school immunisation and program resilience. Furthermore, we systematically review published immunogenicity data of children aged 9 to 15 years and identify that vaccination at age 9 is immunologically robust. Globally, most countries target ages 11 years or older for HPV vaccination. Our findings indicate an urgent need to target earlier ages to help achieve the WHO goal to vaccinate 90% of girls against HPV by age 15.