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Children 11 to 14 years old need only two doses of the H.P.V. vaccine, not the previously recommended three doses, to protect against cervical cancer and other cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. But teenagers and young adults who start the vaccinations later, at ages 15 through 26, should stick with the three-dose regimen, the disease centers said. (Grady, 10/19)

Children who start getting vaccinated against human papillomavirus before 15 need only two doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided Wednesday. Its previous recommendation was for a three-shot regimen, but studies have shown that two doses work just as well. Experts predict that the simpler, more flexible timeline will result in higher rates of HPV vaccination, which has lagged among both girls and boys. (McGinley, 10/19)

In a move that could boost HPV vaccination rates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said younger adolescents need only two doses of the vaccine, rather than three as previously recommended. The human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), introduced a decade ago, was hailed as a breakthrough in cancer prevention because it wards off infection with sexually-transmitted strains of the virus that cause cervical cancer and some rarer head, neck and genital cancers.  But doctors and parents of adolescents have been slow to embrace the immunization, put off by its novelty, link to sexual activity, and the complexity of the three-shot regimen, which is covered by insurance. (McCullough, 10/19)