Central govt to launch HPV vaccination drive for girls aged 14 this month

THe exchange authorities testament set in motion a special nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination run this month for girls aged 14 years to combat cervical cancer, according to people in the health ministry.As part of the campaign, the programme will use a single-shot Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine, which provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11.The government is procuring the vaccine from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. According to health department officials, the Centre will procure 26 million Gardasildoses by 2027.Eligible beneficiaries can register on the U-WIN portal to receive the vaccination.“Ten million doses have already reached India. The rest will arrive later this year and the next. Doses have already been dispatched to all states for further distribution. The training for administering the jab has also been provided heath workers,” said a government official, who did not wish to be named.The registration will begin once the driver is rolled out, “The process will entail submission of age-verification documents, following which a slot can be booked at the nearest government facility,” said the official.“We are all set to do a formal launch for the special drive this month. The upcoming nationwide roll-out is a significant milestone towards achieving the vision of Swastha Nari campaign ensuring that prevention, protection, and equity form the foundation of women’s healthcare in the country,” a health department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.The jab will be administered free of cost.The drive would be a special vaccination campaign and not under the government’s Universal Immunisation Programme.The official quoted above said more than more than 10 million girls will be given the vaccine in the latest round. The official did not mention phases in which the drive will be carried out.In the open market, quadrivalent Gardasil-4 is a two-dose vaccine for girls below 15 years. For those above 15 years, three doses of the vaccine are required. WHO has also acknowledged single dose of the HPV vaccine, including Gardasil 4.While India has its own indigenously developed cervical cancer vaccine, CERVAVAC, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), it is yet to get the WHO’s approval, the official cited above said.According to government data, cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with nearly 80,000 new cases and over 42,000 deaths reported annually.Scientific evidence establishes that almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by persistent infection with high-risk types of HPV, particularly HPV types 16 and 18, which together account for more than 80 per cent of cervical cancer cases in India.