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    Get the HPV vaccine for women, the earlier the better

    • High value
    • Evidence A
    • Buys life
    • For: Women, Child aged 3–18
    • Costs a lot
    • Takes minutes
    • No willpower

    In plain words

    In data on 1,670,000 (167万) women in Sweden, those vaccinated against HPV before age 17 had only about one-eighth the chance of later getting invasive cervical cancer compared with those not vaccinated. Those vaccinated between 17 and 30 had about half. So the earlier you get it, the more it is worth.

    Cost

    The domestic bivalent vaccine costs a little over 300 CNY a dose, and the imported 9-valent one about 1300 CNY a dose. In all, 2 to 3 doses. Each visit takes half a day.

    What you get

    Sweden followed 1,670,000 (167万) women. Vaccinated women had a lower rate of invasive cervical cancer than unvaccinated women. For those vaccinated before 17 it was about 88% lower (IRR 0.12; 95% CI 0.00 to 0.34, where the figure in parentheses is the original value and its plausible range). For those vaccinated between 17 and 30 it was about 53% lower (IRR 0.47, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.75). The World Health Organization (WHO) makes girls aged 9 to 14 who are not yet sexually active the priority group for vaccination.

    Notes

    The World Health Organization gives the vaccine first to girls aged 9 to 14 who are not yet sexually active. Vaccinated between 17 and 30, there is still a drop of more than half. The Swedish study followed women only to age 30 and has no figure for how much vaccinating after 30 lowers the risk. Even if you are vaccinated, you still need cervical cancer screening; the vaccine can't replace it. See §1.18 (cervical cancer screening for women over 30).

    Evidence grade
    A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
    Sources
    1. Lei J et al. (2020). HPV Vaccination and the Risk of Invasive Cervical Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1917338
    2. WHO. Cervical cancer fact sheet: "HPV vaccination is a priority for all girls aged 9–14 years, before they become sexually active." https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer

    This tip also appears in

    Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 16. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer