Countries should consider offering routine HPV vaccination to girls as young as four when doing so could help close gaps in vaccine coverage, the World Health Organization’s vaccine advisers have said.
HPV vaccination programmes are now in place in 165 countries, according to Anthony Scott, chair of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE).
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Yet global coverage remains at just 33%, he told reporters — well below the 90% target set by health authorities.
The WHO identifies HPV vaccination as a priority for all girls between the ages of nine and 14.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) says vaccination may also be advised for people with weakened immune systems.
In 2022, SAGE endorsed either a one- or two-dose schedule for girls aged nine to 14 and for young women aged 15 to 20. It recommended two doses, given six months apart, for women over 21.
Following a review of newer evidence, the group concluded that a single dose for girls aged nine to 14 offered the most effective route towards the global coverage goal.
“Countries may also consider routine vaccination (for) girls aged four to eight years if this is likely to result in increased vaccination uptake and coverage,” Mr Scott said.
Persistent HPV infection causes cervical cancer, the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. The WHO recorded about 604,000 new cases and roughly 280,000 deaths in 2024.
More than 95 million girls had received HPV vaccines by the end of 2025, said Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s vaccines department.
SAGE said single-dose HPV vaccination could be extended to other priority groups in stages, beginning with catch-up vaccination for women up to age 25, followed by women up to 30. Routine vaccination could then be introduced for boys aged nine to 14, followed by catch-up vaccination for males up to 20.
There were eight licensed HPV vaccines as of 2025.
Ireland uses an HPV vaccine called Gardasil 9.
The WHO says cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in 26 countries, mainly across sub-Saharan Africa, parts of South and Central America, Melanesia, and southeast Asia.
