(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Administration of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses over a longer period of time to adolescent girls in Vietnam resulted in antibody concentration levels that were comparable to the standard vaccine schedule, according to a new study.
Cervical cancer is an important cause of illness and death among women throughout the world.
“Each year, new cases of cervical cancer occur in approximately 529,000 women, and 275,000 women die. An estimated 88 percent of deaths due to cervical cancer occur among women residing in developing countries,” according to background information in the article. Human papillomaviruses are the primary cause of cervical cancer.
“Combined with continued strengthening of simple evidence-based screening and treatment approaches, effective HPV vaccine programs could reduce cervical cancer rates in developing countries to the low levels currently observed in many developed countries. One challenge to broadly implementing HPV vaccination programs in developing countries will be delivering the currently recommended three doses of vaccine to adolescents within six months (dosing schedules at zero, two, and six months or at zero, one, and six months),” the authors write.
Kathleen M. Neuzil, M.D., M.P.H., of PATH, Seattle, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to determine the immunogenicity (the ability of the vaccine to stimulate an immune response) and the reactogenicity (the capacity of a vaccine to produce adverse reactions) of alternative schedules of quadrivalent HPV vaccine. The study assessed four schedules of an HPV vaccine delivered in 21 schools to 903 adolescent girls (ages 11-13 years at enrollment).
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