HPV Vaccines: Dose recommendations

The HPV vaccines, Gardasil (which is used at Better2Know clinics) and Cervarix, have had the number of recommended doses changed from three to two. Following research from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), their recommendation has been adopted.

The current schedule for Gardasil is to have:

• Dose 1
• Dose 2 – 1 month later
• Dose 3 – 5 months after Dose 2, and 6 months after Dose 1

The new schedule for Gardasil is:

• Dose 1
• Dose 2 – 6 to 24 months later

The research also showed that the vaccine had a high take-up rate.  It is currently given to nearly 90% of schoolgirls in the UK of 12 to 13 year of age.  There is already strong evidence to show that it is reducing the number of HPV infections in sexually active young women since it was introduced in 2008.

Anyone who is currently having the vaccines and has had the second dose is strongly recommended to stick with their current schedule and continue to have the third dose.

Better2Know offers Gardasil across many of its clinics.  Gardasil protects against four of the most common types of HPV: including two common causes of cervical cancer and two common causes of genital warts.