The Ministry of Health has a new vaccination strategy against HPV: from now on, the scheme will be a single dose, replacing the old model with two applications. As a result, the folder practically doubles the immunization capacity of stocks available in the country. The idea is to intensify protection against cervical cancer and other complications associated with the virus. The change was published in a Technical Note this Monday (1st). The participants of the Technical Advisory Chamber (CTAI) endorsed the decision at the most recent meeting of the collegiate.
The main objective is to increase vaccination adherence and expand vaccination coverage, aiming to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. The single dose recommendation was based on studies with robust evidence on the effectiveness of the regimen compared to versions with two or three stages. Furthermore, the scheme follows the most recent recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The target audience continues to be girls and boys aged 9 to 14, aiming to protect them before exposure to the virus. The priority group also includes people with immunocompromise, victims of sexual violence and other specific conditions, as set out in the National Immunization Program (PNI), who can receive the vaccine up to the age of 45.
Furthermore, the technical note recommends that states and municipalities carry out active searches to ensure that young Brazilians up to 19 years of age have access to the HPV vaccine. In these cases, all people within this age group who have not received one or two doses of the vaccine within the recommended period will be able to receive the single-dose regimen. Brazil joins 37 countries that have already adopted the single-dose regimen, following international recommendations and seeking positive results in protecting the population against the HPV virus.
Number of doses applied in 2023 is the highest since 2018
In 2023, more than 6.1 million doses of the HPV vaccine were administered. The number is the highest since 2018 (5.1 million) and represents a 42% increase compared to 2022, when just over 4 million doses were administered. This resumption is the result of the efforts of states and municipalities that joined the Ministry of Health in the National Movement for Vaccination, reversing the downward trend in coverage of the main immunization agents in the calendar defined by the PNI.
Access the Technical Note here
Via the Ministry of Health’s communications department.
Tags: Ministry Health adopts singledose HPV vaccination schedule
