Nepal Launches Nationwide HPV Vaccination Campaign for Adolescent Girls

Kathmandu. The government has started a nationwide campaign today to administer the 'Human Papillomavirus' (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer to girls studying in grade six.

According to the Child Health and Vaccination Branch of the Department of Health Services, the vaccination drive for girls in grade six and out-of-school girls aged 10 will run from today until Falgun 15 across the country.

As part of the campaign, girls currently studying in grades 7 to 10, and out-of-school girls aged 11 to 14, who missed the HPV vaccination drive last year, will also receive the vaccine under the same campaign. The branch stated that the drive will be conducted in Chaitra in the Himalayan and snow-prone districts.

The HPV vaccine must be administered against the Human Papillomavirus infection, which is the main cause of increased risk of cervical cancer. Girls in grade six will receive the HPV vaccine at school, and other girls will receive it at vaccination centers.

Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Branch, urged everyone to get vaccinated as the vaccine is 100 percent effective. In Nepal, an average of 6 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every day, resulting in the death of four of them. However, this cancer can be prevented by the HPV vaccine.

Last year, the government vaccinated approximately 1.7 million adolescent girls studying in grades 6 to 10 and those aged 10 to 14 who were out of school nationwide from Magh 22 to Falgun 6. According to the branch, approximately 350,000 children will be vaccinated against cervical cancer with the HPV vaccine during the 20-day campaign.

Cervical cancer ranks second among various cancers affecting women in Nepal, and it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.