NEW YORK — It may soon be easier for preteens to get the vaccine against cervical cancer. A government panel is recommending they get fewer shots spaced further apart.

Since the HPV vaccine went on sale a decade ago, three doses have been needed. The panel decided Wednesday that two doses are enough.

‘‘It will be simpler now for parents to get their kids the HPV vaccine series, and protect their kids from HPV cancers,’’ said Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vaccine protects against human papillomavirus — or HPV — which can cause cervical cancer, certain other cancers and genital warts. It is commonly spread through sex and, in most cases, the virus doesn’t cause any problems. But some infections gradually lead to cancer.

Health officials want kids to get HPV vaccinations at age 11 or 12, well before most first have sex and before they could be infected.

But less than one-third of 13-year-old US boys and girls have gotten three doses. Busy parents have struggled with the old schedule, which called for three trips to the doctor within six months.

Recent studies have shown two doses of the current HPV vaccine — Gardasil 9 — work just as well in kids ages 9 to 14. The Food and Drug Administration two weeks ago said it could be given in two doses.

The vaccine was first recommended in 2006 for girls, and then for boys in 2011 — partly to reduce the spread of HPV to girls.

Vaccination rates have risen very slowly, and health officials have lamented the underuse of a potent cancer prevention tool.

Too many doctors have been timid about promoting the shots, experts say. That’s at least partly because some parents have worried the vaccination seems like they are greenlighting their kids to have sex.

Associated Press