HPV vaccine extended schedule - Q&A

You can download this Q&A as a separate document here.

Do any other provinces use this extended HPV vaccine schedule?

This schedule has been used in Québec since 2008, with an excellent safety record and strong immune responses.

Is there any change to the HPV vaccine schedule for girls starting the vaccine series after their 14th birthday?

Girls who start their vaccination series after they turn 14 years old will continue to get three doses of HPV vaccine over 6 months.

2010 – 2011 is the last year of the school-based grade 9 HPV vaccine program. However, grade 9 girls who missed getting their vaccine in previous years are still encouraged to talk to their parents and public health nurse about getting the vaccine. Girls older than 14 years who did not start their series are still eligible for publicly-funded HPV vaccine. They will receive the vaccine in a 3 dose series given over 6 months.

My daughter missed some of her shots in grade 6 or grade 9. What schedule will be used to complete her HPV vaccinations?

Regardless of how long it has been since the last dose of HPV vaccine, these girls are encouraged to get protection against HPV disease as soon as possible.

Girls who didn’t finish their shots for HPV in grade 6 or 9 can contact their local health unit or talk to their school nurse, who will determine the correct schedule to complete their vaccinations.

What is being changed in the BC HPV vaccine schedule in 2010-2011 and why?

Girls who start(ed) their HPV vaccine series between the ages of 9-13 years will be on an extended dosing schedule of the HPV vaccine, starting September 2010. Two doses will be offered, six months apart. A 3rd dose will be given 60 months after the first. Girls, who started their HPV vaccine series when they were 9-13 years, but have not yet completed the series, may also be offered two doses, depending on the timing of their first dose(s).

This is a change from the vaccine schedule offered to girls since 2008, when girls were offered three doses in grade 6, over a six month period. The new schedule will continue to provide effective protection against HPV diseases.

Since 2008, the HPV vaccine program has been providing protection against four kinds of Human Papillomavirus (this causes diseases like cervical cancer and genital warts). This vaccine has been proven safe and effective and is offered to all girls going into grade 6 and grade 9 in British Columbia. This school year of 2010-2011 is the last year of the school based grade 9 program (see question 4).

What should we do if we move to another city, province, or country before our daughter gets her third dose?

Contact your local health unit for advice before you move.

You will have a choice to either get the dose for your daughter before moving, or to take a copy of your daughter’s immunization record with you to your new home area. Keep the record in a safe place and share it with public health in your new area to determine when to give your daughter her remaining doses of HPV and other vaccines.

Why is the HPV vaccine schedule changing for girls aged 9-13 years?

When a vaccine is made, the company that makes it recommends the number of doses to be given according to the schedule used in clinical trials. These trials may not take into account all considerations related to optimal use of the vaccine in ‘post-marketing’ use.

For the past two years, BC has been following the company-recommended schedule by giving three doses over six months. This year, experts in British Columbia, like those in Québec, recommended giving the vaccine using an extended schedule for girls aged 9-13 years. This schedule will provide protection comparable to the previous schedule.

Why is the new schedule only offered to girls who start their HPV vaccine series between the ages of 9-13?

Between the ages of 9-13 years, a girl’s immune system responds very well to this vaccine.

In fact, their immune response is better than that of older girls and young women. The strength of their immune response makes it possible to spread out the time between doses and still provide them with protection until the third dose is offered 60 months later.