NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will launch the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Programme for girls aged 14 years from Ajmer, Rajasthan.
With this launch, India will join over 160 countries that have introduced HPV vaccination into their immunization schedules. More than 90 countries are implementing single-dose HPV vaccination schedules, improving coverage, affordability, and programme efficiency.
The programme in India will target approximately 1.15 crore girls aged 14 years every year across all States and Union Territories. The vaccine will be provided free of cost at designated government health facilities such as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Primary Health Centres), Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals as well as Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals.
Vaccination will be voluntary and informed consent from parents/guardians will be obtained prior to administration.
The special campaign will run in mission mode over a three-month period, during which eligible girls can receive the vaccine daily at designated facilities. Thereafter, the vaccine will continue to be available on routine immunization days.
Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with over 1 lakh 20 thousand new cases and nearly 80 thousand deaths annually as per the GLOBOCAN 2022 data. Scientific evidence establishes that almost all cases are caused by persistent infection with high-risk types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), particularly types 16 and 18, which account for more than 80% of cervical cancer cases in India.
Despite being largely preventable through vaccination and early screening, cervical cancer continues to impose a heavy burden on families and the healthcare system. The nationwide HPV vaccination programme directly addresses this challenge by preventing HPV infection before it can progress to cancer.
India’s national programme will use Gardasil, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine that protects against HPV types 16 and 18 (which cause cervical cancer), as well as types 6 and 11.
HPV vaccines are among the most extensively studied vaccines globally with more than 500 million doses administered worldwide since 2006. Scientific evidence demonstrates 93–100% effectiveness in preventing cervical cancer caused by vaccine-covered HPV types.
In June 2022, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization of the World Health Organization concluded that a single-dose schedule provides protection comparable to two-dose schedules. The December 2022 WHO Position Paper further endorsed single-dose schedules as an effective and programmatically advantageous option for girls aged 9–20 years.
Several countries have already reported substantial reductions in HPV infection rates, precancerous lesions, and cervical cancer incidence following widespread vaccination.
Provided by the GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance the vaccines used in the national programme are approved by India’s drug regulator and meet stringent quality and cold-chain standards.
Adequate vaccine doses, commensurate with the target cohort of each State and UT, have already been supplied and States/UTs have been trained for seamless rollout and last-mile distribution.
“We are urging parents and guardians to ensure that their 14-year-old daughters receive the HPV vaccine once the programme is rolled out. It is a powerful preventive step that can save lives. By choosing vaccination, families can secure a healthier, cancer-free future for India’s daughters,” said an official from the Union Health Ministry.
