According to a press statement released on Friday, the decision was based on new data on the product that fulfilled the criteria set out in the WHO’s 2022 recommendations for alternative, off-label use of HPV vaccines in single-dose schedules.
SAGE now recommends that dose schedules should be updated to have one or two-dose schedule for the primary target of girls aged 9-14, one or two-dose schedule for young women aged 15-20 and two doses with a 6-month interval for women older than 21.
Dr. Alfred Driwale, the program manager Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization, attributes the shortage to increased demand for vaccine globally.
