The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) modified the adolescent immunization schedule in 2022 to state that HPV vaccination can begin at 9 years old, in addition to the routine recommendation for 11-to-12-year-olds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also supports HPV vaccination starting at age 9, a recommendation first introduced in the 2018-2021 AAP Red Book.
Recommending HPV vaccination starting at 9 years old gives providers more flexibility on when to give HPV vaccination and offers families the opportunity to complete the series before other adolescent vaccines are due. Higher completion rates are observed when children start HPV vaccination at earlier ages of 9-10 years in comparison to later ages (see study).
CAIR will now forecast initiation of the HPV vaccine series starting at age 9. This will show as an alert stating, “Patient is eligible for Earliest Date option for HPV Vaccine,” for 9- and 10-year-old patients in CAIR. There are no changes in CAIR to the earliest valid dose of HPV vaccine (9 years) nor the age at which HPV vaccine is due (11-12 years) or considered overdue (13+ years).
Resources on HPV Vaccine:
Contact your local health department for information on how to order CDPH resources in print.