HPV Vaccine Administration and Efficacy

Age-Based Dosing Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends administering the first dose of HPV vaccine to an 11-12 year old, making this the ideal age to start vaccination 1
Catch-up vaccination is recommended for females aged 13-26 years who have not been previously vaccinated 2

Ideally, vaccine should be administered before potential exposure to HPV through sexual activity; however, individuals who are sexually active should still be vaccinated 4, 5
History of genital warts, abnormal Papanicolaou test, or positive HPV DNA test is not evidence of prior infection with all vaccine HPV types; HPV vaccination is still recommended for these individuals 4, 5
Vaccination is not a substitute for routine cervical cancer screening, and vaccinated females should have cervical cancer screening as recommended 2

The vaccine has high efficacy in preventing persistent HPV infection, cervical cancer precursor lesions, vaginal and vulvar cancer precursor lesions, and genital warts caused by HPV types covered by the vaccine 2
No evidence exists of protection against disease caused by HPV types with which individuals are infected at the time of vaccination 2
However, individuals infected with one or more vaccine HPV types before vaccination would be protected against disease caused by the other vaccine HPV types 2