Usage of One HPV Vaccine Dose in Resource-Limited Settings
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Reviewed & Translated by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on January 28th, 2026
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Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is one of the most common etiological causes of cervical cancer. Vaccination had been successful at preventing infection and lowering the disease risk. However, worldwide vaccine coverage is low; thus, the burden of cervical cancer is majorly borne by underdeveloped nations. With funding from the National Cancer Institute, a study was conducted to assess the preventative capability of a one-dose HPV vaccine schedule.
The clinical study was conducted in Costa Rica, and it included around 23 thousands young girls between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. 3000 of whom were used as an unvaccinated control group. The participants were randomly selected to be vaccinated with either the bivalent vaccine formulation or the nonavalent version. After 6 months, these participants were again randomly assigned to be vaccinated with the same formula or the control vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. The bivalent vaccine includes antigen from the 2 most common HPV variants (HPV16 and HPV18). The nonavalent vaccine has broader coverage that included the addition of HPV6, HPV11, HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, HPV33, HPV45, HPV52, and HPV58.
Assessment for HPV infection between 12 and 60 months post immunization found that there is little difference between patients who received one or two doses of the vaccine; this indicates that a possible reduced dose regimen can be effective in resource-limited communities. Additionally, the researchers found that both the bivalent and nonavalent vaccine had similar vaccine effectiveness at 97%.
The clinical study was conducted in Costa Rica, and it included around 23 thousands young girls between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. 3000 of whom were used as an unvaccinated control group. The participants were randomly selected to be vaccinated with either the bivalent vaccine formulation or the nonavalent version. After 6 months, these participants were again randomly assigned to be vaccinated with the same formula or the control vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. The bivalent vaccine includes antigen from the 2 most common HPV variants (HPV16 and HPV18). The nonavalent vaccine has broader coverage that included the addition of HPV6, HPV11, HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, HPV33, HPV45, HPV52, and HPV58.
Assessment for HPV infection between 12 and 60 months post immunization found that there is little difference between patients who received one or two doses of the vaccine; this indicates that a possible reduced dose regimen can be effective in resource-limited communities. Additionally, the researchers found that both the bivalent and nonavalent vaccine had similar vaccine effectiveness at 97%.