Three Shots In Six Months

The HPV vaccine is given through a series of three shots over a six-month period. The second and third doses should be given two and six months (respectively) after the first dose.

Will the HPV vaccine be covered by insurance plans? While some insurance companies may cover the vaccine, others may not. Most large plans usually cover the costs of recommended vaccines. However, there is often a short lag time after a vaccine is recommended before it is available and covered by health plans.

What kind of government programs may be available to cover HPV vaccine? Federal health programs such as Vaccines for Children will cover the HPV vaccine. The VFC program provides free vaccines to children and teens under age 19 who are uninsured, Medicaid-eligible, American Indian or Alaska Native. More than 45,000 sites provide VFC vaccines, including hospitals and private and public clinics. The VFC Program also allows children and teens to get vaccines through Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Centers if their private health insurance does not cover the vaccine.

Some states also provide free or low-cost vaccines at health department clinics to people without health insurance coverage for vaccines.

Will girls/women who have been vaccinated still need cervical cancer screening? Yes, for three reasons. First, the vaccine will not protect against all types of HPV that cause cervical cancer, so vaccinated women will still be at risk for some cancers. Second, some women may not get all required doses of the vaccine (or they may not get them at the right times), so they may not get the vaccine's full benefits. Third, women may not get the full benefit of the vaccine if they receive it after they've already acquired one of the four HPV types.

Should girls/women be screened before getting vaccinated? No. Girls/women do not need to get an HPV test or Pap test to determine whether they should get the vaccine. An HPV test or a Pap test can tell that a woman may have HPV, but these tests cannot tell the specific HPV type(s) that a woman has. Even girls/women with one HPV type could get protection from the other HPV types they have not yet acquired.

Will girls be required to get vaccinated before they enter school? No federal laws require children or adolescents to get vaccinated. All school and day-care entry laws are state laws, so they vary from state to state. To find out what vaccines are needed for children or teens to enter school or day care in your state, check with your state health department or board of education.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention