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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

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).

Notes

Between ages 9 and 14 the benefit is greatest. Vaccinated between 17 and 30, there is still a drop of more than half. After 30 the benefit shrinks steadily. 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 等 (2020). HPV Vaccination and the Risk of Invasive Cervical Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1917338

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 Content may be out of date and rules differ by place.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