Centre to launch pan-India HPV vaccine drive for adolescent girls

The Central government has decided to launch a nationwide HPV vaccination drive to combat cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of death among Indian women, particularly in rural areas. The initiative will provide free HPV vaccines to adolescent girls aged 9 to 14 years across the country. The government has already procured one crore doses and aims to procure up to 2.4 crore doses by 2027. The vaccine, known as Gardasil, typically costs around 10,000 rupees per dose. With an efficacy rate of 93 to 100 percent, this preventable cancer initiative makes India the 90th or 91st country to administer this type of vaccine through the Gavi route. India joins approximately 160 countries worldwide rolling out vaccines against HPV, a highly infectious virus. The vaccine is not a live vaccine, meaning there is no risk of HPV infection immediately after administration. The government plans to incorporate this vaccine into the national immunization program with awareness campaigns through healthcare workers and community centers.