New Delhi: Even though the Union government has dismissed reports that the single-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination against cervical cancer would be included in the routine immunisation programme, a new study conducted at hospitals across India has pointed out that one dose of the vaccine can prevent the disease.
HPV is a sexually-transmitted infection that is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer.
The study was conducted on 2,135 women over 10 years, divided into groups who received one, two or three doses of HPV vaccines between the ages of 10 and 18.
“The study, conducted at hospitals across India, found that 10 years after vaccination, a high proportion of single- dose recipients still had antibody titers against HPV types 16 and 18 with the proportion being slightly higher among 10-14-year-olds than those aged 15-18,” Livemint reported, quoting the study published in the journal Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics.
Early this year, there were reports in the media saying that the HPV vaccine was to be included in the Indian government’s vaccine programme, targeting girls aged 9-14. However, the Press Information Bureau has since clarified that no such decision has been taken yet. “The Union Health Ministry is yet to take a decision on the roll out of HPV vaccination in the country. It is closely monitoring the incidences of cervical cancer cases in the country and is in regular touch with states and various health departments regarding this,” PIB stated.
The new research, Livemint reports, was carried out “to study the long-term antibody response after a single dose of the HPV vaccine”.
“The study showed that a single dose jab with a catch-up extended to age 20 will have more significant impact in reducing the lifetime risk of cervical cancer and accelerating elimination of the disease than administering two doses to pre-adolescent girls.”
Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent form of cancer among Indian women, after breast cancer. Across the world, the HPV vaccine has been recognised as an important preventive measure. The World Health Organisation has recommended that girls aged between 9 and 14 should be given one or two HPV doses. A recent study in Scotland found that there were no cases of cervical cancer among women who received the full HPV immunisation, BBC reported.