With guidance and consultation from the World Health Organization, The Ministry of Health and Wellness announced today that the dose for the HPV vaccine was reduced to a single dose for children between the ages of 10-12 and two doses for adults. WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization continue to recommend that a single dose is sufficient to provide protection against an initial and/or persistent HPV infection. We spoke with the Coordinator for the Maternal and Child health unit and the Ministry about the new changes in doses today.
Dr. Natalia Beer, Maternal and Child Health Coordinator
"A few years ago, it was recommended that we can provide two doses because it had the same level of effectiveness as three doses. The studies continued and one or two years ago, the strategic advisory group of experts, these are experts independent of WHO."
"They review the results of the recent studies and they recommended that countries can move to one dose because they are seeing the same results as if two doses are given. So, Belize, like other Caribbean countries and countries in the region of the Americas and worldwide decided that it's okay for us to move now to the first dose since the evidence is there that one dose and do confer protection to the target population."
"In the case of Belize, it is a school based program. So, we provide the vaccine for children in standard four class and for those outside of school, we give it to 10 year old. The vaccine is okay to be administered up to 26 years but we don't have enough resources to cover all those cohorts."
"So, we introduced the vaccine in 2016. So, we have roughly seven cohorts that have been vaccinated. A person can receive the vaccine, remember the one that we are using is the one that have four types of HPV, which is the number six, number 11, number 16, and number 18."
"16 and 18 is responsible for up to 70% of cervical cancer. And why we decided to give it at 10 -year old, or those in standard four, is because if one doesn't get in contact with the virus, then the protection is 100%."
"But if I give you a vaccine today and you come in contact with number 16, then the protection against number 16 will be very poor because you already have contact with HPV 16."
At present the ministry has over 10,000 doses in stock. Vaccines can be received through a respective school vaccine program and at all health centers countrywide.
