PM Modi to launch nationwide HPV vaccination drive from Ajmer on February 28

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will roll out the nation-wide HPV vaccination campaign aiming to administer the vaccine to more than one crore 14-year-old girls each year.

The Prime Minister will launch the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme at Ajmer in Rajasthan, official sources said here. Each year approximately 1.15 crore 14-year-old girls will be given the shot.

The special campaign will run in a mission mode over a three-month period, during which eligible girls can receive the vaccine daily. Subsequently, the vaccine will be available on routine immunization days.

The shots will be provided free at designated primary health centres, community health centres, sub-district and district hospitals.

The Centre has secured HPV vaccine supplies through a globally supported procurement mechanism in partnership with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Adequate vaccine doses, commensurate with the target cohort of each state and union territory, have already been supplied and staff have been trained for seamless rollout and last-mile distribution.

Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with over 1.2 lakh new cases and nearly 80,000 deaths annually.

Scientific evidence establishes that almost all cases are caused by persistent infection with high-risk types of the HPV, particularly types 16 and 18, which account for more than 80% of cervical cancer cases in India.

For the campaign, the Union Health Ministry will use Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine, that will be effective against HPV types 16 and 18, as well as types 6 and 11.