Group urges vaccination in girls at 11 to 12 years of age; older girls and women may still get benefit
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Girls should be routinely vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) at the age of 11 or 12, though vaccination may be advisable in girls as young as 9, according to recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
In a new committee opinion, the Committee on Adolescent Health Care also recommends that Ob-Gyns discuss the potential benefits of HPV vaccination with female patients ages 13 to 26 and offer the vaccine if they haven't received it or completed the series. The bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines are most effective if given before sexual activity, but sexually active girls and women may still get some benefit from vaccination. The benefits of the vaccine may be limited in patients with previous genital warts or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
The organization doesn't recommend HPV DNA testing before vaccination. In addition, the vaccination isn't recommended during pregnancy, and patients should use contraception when receiving the series of vaccinations, the committee writes. Patients with immunosuppression may receive the vaccine, but they may have a diminished immune response.
"Studies of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine have shown that in participants naive to the vaccine genotypes who followed protocol, the vaccine was close to being 100 percent effective in preventing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2, CIN 3, and condylomatous vulvar disease related to the HPV genotypes covered by the vaccine," the authors write.
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