Question:medium

Regarding the HPV vaccine, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

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No vaccine is 100% - HPV jabs cover the major genotypes, not all of them.
Updated On: Jun 25, 2026
  • It guarantees 100% complete protection against cervical cancer
  • The primary target group for vaccination is girls aged 9-14 years
  • A single-dose schedule is now endorsed by WHO and national guidelines for the targeted age group
  • It is highly immunogenic, with high seroconversion rates in the target age group
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

The HPV vaccine programme aims at girls $9\text{-}14$ years old, ideally before any sexual exposure. WHO's SAGE and several national programmes have moved to a $\textit{single-dose}$ schedule for this band, and the vaccine reliably triggers strong, high-titre immune responses.

The statement that fails scrutiny is the promise of $\textit{complete, 100\%}$ protection. The available vaccines neutralise the dominant oncogenic strains - types 16 and 18 cause roughly $70\%$ of cervical cancers, with extra coverage in the nonavalent product - but they cannot block every high-risk HPV type. So the protection is substantial yet partial, which is precisely why women must keep up with cervical screening.

\[\boxed{\text{"100\% complete protection" is the INCORRECT statement}}\]
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