The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted at their June 2019 meeting to align their HPV vaccine recommendations for males and females through age 26 and to also recommend shared clinical decision making for previously unvaccinated men and women between the ages of 27 and 45.

Organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ACIP is the main body that makes vaccine program recommendation in the U.S.

ACIP recommends routine HPV vaccination for boys and girls ages 11-12 with catch-up vaccination through age 26 for those who previously didn’t receive (or complete) the series of shots. This harmonizes HPV vaccine recommendations for males and females (before the June vote the catch-up recommendation for males was only up to age 21).

The vaccine protects against the “high risk” HPV types that cause a number of cancers including approximately 90% of cervical cancers globally. It also blocks infections with two “low risk” HPV types found with most cases of genital warts.

In 2018 the indication for the HPV vaccine was expanded to include use with men and women 27-45 and shared clinical decision making means ACIP recommends patients in this group discuss the vaccine with their health care provider to see if it’s right for them. 

For more on HPV vaccines read NCCC’s FAQ here.