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Canada’s federal immunization advisory body now recommends that children and adolescents receive a single dose of the HPV vaccine, joining several other countries that have already reduced the number of doses required for adolescents.
The new guidelines, which were adopted by the National Committee on Immunization (NACI)strongly recommends that individuals aged nine to 20 years receive one dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine, instead of two or three.
Research over the past decade has shown that one dose of this “highly effective vaccine” can provide similar protection against HPV infection and disease in women in that age group, NACI said.
The advisory body still advocates two doses of the HPV vaccine for Canadians aged 21 to 26, along with a three-dose schedule for people with weakened immune systems or those living with HIV.
In people without protection, persistent infection with high-risk HPV types has been associated with cervical, oropharyngeal, vaginal, vulvar, penile, and anal cancers.
“People 27 years and older who are not vaccinated may benefit from vaccination, even at an older age,” the NACI guideline said.
England recently announced it was moving to a single-dose HPV vaccine, following similar moves in Scotland and Australia. There have been calls for Canada to do the same, but some immunologists say there is still not enough evidence to show that one dose is enough.
Other countries have already switched to the one-dose approach
The new recommendations follow the World Health Organization (WHO)’s 2022 announcement that a single dose provides “robust protection” against HPV, comparable to two or three jabs, based on a growing body of global evidence.
As CBC News reported in July 2023, several other countries, including England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Australia, had already moved to a one-dose approach.
“If you look at the studies that have been published around the world … the effectiveness of one dose of the HPV vaccine is actually quite high,” Dr. Caroline Quach, a Quebec physician and former president of NACI, said at the time.
“In terms of preventing HPV infections that can lead to cancer, whether you give one or two doses, you will essentially get the same protection.”
In Canada, the HPV vaccine is approved for people between the ages of nine and 45.
Current vaccination rates among adolescents and young adults vary by country and are below the national target of 90 percent, according to NACI guidelines.
