Revised HPV vaccine guidelines could boost immunization, Calgary expert says

Doctors in Alberta are keeping a close eye on new international guidelines for cervical cancer prevention.

The recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) this week include a big change in HPV vaccine dosage.

• 2 dose HPV vaccines recommended by WHO to protect against cervical cancer

It suggests two doses of the vaccine are just as effective as the three doses girls are currently given in many provinces, including Alberta.

University of Calgary community health researcher Dr. James Dickinson, who headed a Canadian task force on cervical screening, welcomed the news.

"It's much easier to get two doses into people, adolescent girls, than three. And so if we can minimize the amount of vaccination needed for each individual, it gives us more opportunity to make sure that more people get immunized," he said.

The WHO guideline change is based partly on research done in Canada.