Government to Promote HPV Vaccination for Girls Aged 9-14 to Prevent Cervical Cancer, Announces Finance Minister

The Indian government is taking steps to combat cervical cancer by actively promoting the vaccination of girls aged 9 to 14 against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), as announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her interim budget speech for 2024-25. This comes two years after the National Technical Advisory Group for Immunization (NTAGI) recommended the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) to prevent cervical cancer in women.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, contributing significantly to the global burden of the disease. The primary cause of cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which remains prevalent due to low awareness and limited access to vaccination programs.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that in India, there were 123,907 new cervical cancer cases and 77,348 deaths in 2020. Regular screening with Pap smears or HPV tests can detect precancerous lesions and enable early intervention and cancer prevention. However, screening rates in India, especially in rural areas, are alarmingly low, leading to late-stage diagnoses and inadequate access to timely treatment.

Dr. Krithiga Shridhar, an Epidemiologist at the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), emphasized the urgency of implementing population-level screening and HPV vaccination programs. Cervical cancer is the leading cancer among women in rural regions and the second most common female cancer in India, accounting for almost a fifth of all cancers in women, according to the National Cancer Registry Data.

While the Finance Minister did not provide specific details about the government’s plan, several states have already taken proactive steps in this direction. Delhi, Punjab, Sikkim, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, and Uttar Pradesh have introduced free HPV vaccination for schoolgirls as part of pilot programs or routine immunization.