Call to vaccinate girls as young as 4 against HPV
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) is proposing to vaccinate girls as young as 4 against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a recommendation that could boost global vaccination rates. Currently, HPV vaccination coverage stands at 33 per cent, significantly below the WHO's 90 per cent target. Anthony Scott, who heads WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), suggests that vaccinating younger girls could be a more efficient strategy to meet this target.
According to WHO, cervical cancer, caused by persistent HPV infection, is the fifth most common cancer in women globally, with 604,000 new cases and 280,000 deaths in 2024. More than 95 million girls have already received HPV vaccines since their introduction in 2007. SAGE has also recommended expanding HPV vaccination to girls aged 9 to 14, followed by women aged 15 to 20, and then women over 21. For men, the priority would be boys aged 9 to 14, followed by catch-up vaccination of males up to 20.
Up to 2023, eight HPV vaccines were licensed. Cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women in 26 countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South and Central America, Melanesia, and southeast Asia.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
