A nurse gives a woman the quadrivalent HPV vaccine in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, November 15, 2017. (Photo: Chinanews.com)
A vaccine for four types of human papilloma virus (HPV) has recently begun to be offered in several Chinese cities, including Chongqing and cities in Henan and Yunnan provinces, Chinanews.com reported.
HPV is found in almost all cervical cancer cases and is believed to be the main cause of the cancer.
The newly launched quadrivalent HPV recombinant vaccine, which is for women aged from 20 to 45, counters four types of HPV, namely types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
Twenty females in Kunming received the quadrivalent HPV vaccine at local hospitals on Wednesday, becoming the very first vaccinated citizens in Yunnan Province.
With a total of more than 4,700 shots available in Yunnan, the first batch of the new vaccine is expected to be delivered to community healthcare centers and local hospitals in all parts of the province within a week.
One dose of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine costs 825 yuan (about 125 US dollars), with three doses required for immunization.
Currently, there are three types of HPV vaccines around the world which protect against two, four, or nine types of HPV, respectively. All of them protect against HPV types 16 and 18 that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers.
The vaccine for two types of HPV went on the market in the Chinese mainland in July, while the vaccine for nine HPV types has not been certified in China yet.
