The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in the United Kingdom has been undertaking a consultation on a proposal to change the HPV vaccination schedule from two-doses to one-dose of the vaccine. You can read the interim advice issued by the JCVI here.
NOMAN has responded to the consultation urging caution as we believe there is currently insufficient evidence to justify the proposed change.
Policy changes should be made on data. Specifically, we believe more evidence is needed to establish:
the efficacy of one-dose HPV vaccination in males.
the longevity of protection in females and males.
At present HPV vaccination is the only mechanism to prevent HPV cancers in males. While we hope that one dose will prove as effective as two, there is currently insufficient evidence at this point to draw such a conclusion.
We urge JCVI to take these points under consideration and await further evidence before making a decision that will affect the diagnosis of females and males with cancer and precancer for decades to come.
You can read our full response below: