Can single-dose HPV vaccine prevent cervical cancer just as effectively? Decoding a new study by WHO cancer agency

What the study shows

Researchers demonstrated that the protection provided by a single dose of the quadrivalent vaccine against persistent infection with HPV types 16 and 18 – the types responsible for nearly 80 per cent of cervical cancers in low- and middle-income countries – is as effective as that from two or three doses of the vaccine, even 15 years after the first dose of the vaccine was administered.

Why is single-dose vaccination a viable option?

“These findings indicate that single-dose vaccination offers effective, long-lasting protection against HPV infections and cervical pre-cancers, making it a viable, simpler, and more accessible option for at-risk populations,” says Dr Basu. “The sustained protection observed up to 15 years after a single dose, along with the cost savings from lower HPV positivity rates and a reduced need for colposcopy and treatment, should strongly encourage many more countries to adopt a single-dose strategy in their HPV vaccination programmes,” he adds.

What about India’s HPV targets? 

In 2020, a total of 194 countries resolved to eliminate cervical cancer. Four years on, 144 countries have introduced the HPV vaccine and over 60 countries have now included testing in their cervical screening programmes. About 83 countries include surgical-care services for cervical cancer in health-benefit packages.

In India, the government had announced a nationwide vaccination programme to protect women and girls from cervical cancer. “However, India is yet to announce the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the national immunisation programme. This has to be addressed as more than 100,000 women get this cancer every year and 70 per cent of them are detected at a very late stage. Less than one-third of such women will live beyond five years. By delaying vaccination, we are pushing thousands of girls to a lifetime risk of cervical cancer. India should go ahead with its indigenously-developed vaccine,” suggests Dr Basu.