GOATS AND SODA – Since the World Health Organization issued its guidance to drop the number of HPV vaccine doses for girls ages 9 to 14 from three to just one, more than 60 countries, including many low- and middle-income countries, have created one-dose HPV immunization programs.
“One dose is a game changer, says Cathy Ndiaye, technical adviser for HPV vaccination programs in Africa and Asia at the global health nonprofit PATH.
“We have big, big countries that aren’t known for their amazing health care systems, but are prioritizing this, says Greg Widmyer, senior adviser in the Global Development Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funded some of the clinical trials.
The March meeting also highlighted the need for cervical cancer screening. That’s because early diagnosis is critical. If the cancer is diagnosed after it has spread to other organs the five-year survival rate is only 19%, according to the American Cancer Society.
Hopes are high for the single-dose programs. “The optimization of the [newly revised] HPV schedule is expected to improve access to the vaccine,” WHO said in a release when it announced the new recommendation. “Offering countries the opportunity to expand the number of girls who can be vaccinated and alleviating the burden of the often complicated and costly follow-up required to complete the vaccination series.”
Currently, of the 73 low- and middle-income countries that get vaccine funding assistance from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, only 44% have included the HPV vaccine in their immunization schedules.
Reasons for that include cost, supply constraints and a lack of infrastructure for vaccinating preteen and teenage girls, says a spokesperson for Gavi, a nonprofit group that helps fund the cost of vaccines in poorer countries …
