“Just one dose of the HPV vaccine Cervarix appears to provide enough of an immune response to protect women from two strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) and ultimately cervical cancer, according to a new study published Monday,” CNN’s “The Chart” blog reports (11/4). “The HPV vaccine is currently recommended as a three-dose series, but doctors have found it difficult to finish out the series for many girls,” HealthDay News notes (Thompson, 11/4). “The study focused on a population of nearly 7,500 women ages 18 to 25 in Costa Rica. Although all were supposed to receive the recommended three doses of the HPV vaccine at different times, about 20 percent of participants did not,” Al Jazeera America writes (11/4). Researchers found that women who had received one, two or three doses “had antibodies against virulent strains of HPV, known as 16 and 18,” Agence France-Presse/GlobalPost notes (11/4). If the number of recommended doses could be reduced from three to one, the vaccination schedule would be simplified and less expensive, making it more accessible in developing countries, according to study co-author Mahboobeh Safaeian of the National Cancer Institute, LiveScience/NBC News reports (Rettner, 11/4).