HPV: anyone who has one dose is fully vaccinated, says ministry

Children and adolescents aged between 9 and 14 years who received only one dose of the HPV vaccine will be classified by the Ministry of Health, from now on, as fully vaccinated. This statement was made by the director of the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health, Eder Gatti.

In an interview with TV Brasilhe explained that the change in the vaccination schedule announced by the ministry was based on recent studies on dose performance and recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) itself as a strategy to combat cervical cancer, directly associated with HPV infection .

Director of the National Immunization Program, Eder Gatti. Photograph: Tânia Rêgo/Arquivo Agência Brasil

“Brazil held a technical discussion considering the recommendations of the technical advisory committee, made up of representatives from the scientific society and medical societies. We listened to our experts and, given the evidence, the Ministry of Health recommended passing the recommendation to one dose,” he explained.

For Eder, the single-dose strategy simplifies the regimen and facilitates adherence, contributing to expanding HPV vaccination coverage in Brazil. “With one dose, our coverage will certainly increase and allow us to optimize the vaccine stocks that the ministry has – it will even allow us to rescue people who have not yet been vaccinated.”

As part of the strategy, the ministry asks states and municipalities to actively search for children and adolescents aged 9 to 19 who have not received any dose of the vaccine. “We will have a greater number of doses at our disposal. It is a measure that guarantees safety and effectiveness for those people who have been and will be vaccinated.”

“The ministry will make this measure official with the publication of a technical note that comes out today. As of publication, people who received one dose are already fully vaccinated and will not need to receive the second dose. And people who go to the clinic to get vaccinated from now on, with just one dose, will be fully vaccinated.”

The director recalled that immunization against HPV is considered routine vaccination. The doses, therefore, are available at all health centers in the country on a permanent basis. Strategies such as multi-vaccination campaigns, aimed at updating the booklet, in addition to campaigns in schools, contribute to intensifying adherence.

“Unfortunately, there is an increasing spread of fake news related to vaccines in our country, targeting people’s confidence in vaccination. Vaccination against Covid-19 was one of the main targets of this fake news. The HPV vaccine is also the target of a lot of fake news that ends up making people feel discouraged from getting vaccinated.”

“Despite being targeted, we work hard to regain people’s confidence in vaccines. Children and adolescents aged 9 to 14, boys and girls, should be vaccinated against HPV. It is a safe vaccine, a vaccine that saves lives, a vaccine that prevents cancer and warts, it is available in the SUS and it is free”, she concluded.

In an interview with Brazil Agencythe president of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), Mônica Levi, considered the change a wise strategy.

“It’s a trend. Several countries around the world are switching to a single dose. Some because they don’t have a vaccine and the only way to introduce it is with just one dose. Others, such as Australia, Scotland and Denmark, switched to the single dose because they have already managed to control or reduce the circulation of the virus, lesions and cancer itself by more than 90%. So, they are moving to a dose to keep the virus circulating low or even absent.”

*Collaborated with Michelle Canes, from TV Brasil.