THURSDAY, Oct. 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Children 14 and younger require only two doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine rather than the previously recommended three doses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new advice is based on a review of data from clinical trials and recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Two doses of HPV vaccine in children ages 9 to 14 were shown to trigger an immune response similar to or higher than the response in patients ages 16 to 26 who received three doses, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommended that 11- to 12-year-olds receive two doses of HPV vaccine at least six months apart. It also said teens 13 and 14 can be vaccinated on the two-dose schedule. However, those who start receiving the vaccinations later -- at ages 15 to 26 -- still need three doses of the vaccine.
"Safe, effective, and long-lasting protection against HPV cancers with two visits instead of three means more Americans will be protected from cancer," Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC, said in an agency news release. "This recommendation will make it simpler for parents to get their children protected in time."
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