HPV Vaccination Campaign Against Cervical Cancer Launched in Three Local Units of Banke District

Nepalgunj. The HPV vaccine against cervical cancer has begun to be administered in three local levels of Banke district. The District Health Office stated that the vaccine has started being administered in Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, Khajura Rural Municipality, and Baijanath Rural Municipality of the district.

Gokarna Giri, Senior Public Health Officer at the District Health Office, informed that so far 132 individuals in Nepalgunj, 141 in Baijanath, and 184 in Khajura have received the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer.

The district has set a target to vaccinate a total of 8,584 individuals, including 6,531 school-going students and 2,053 non-school-going individuals with the HPV vaccine. Among them, 720 individuals in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, 1,706 in Kohalpur Municipality, 880 in Baijanath Rural Municipality, 1,019, 672 in Janaki Rural Municipality, 2,424 in Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, 441 in Duduwa Rural Municipality, and 721 in Narainapur Rural Municipality will receive the vaccine.

According to the Health Office, the vaccine will be administered starting today in Kohalpur Municipality, Duduwa Rural Municipality, Narainapur Rural Municipality, and Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality of the district, and on the 27th in Janaki Rural Municipality.

The target group for the vaccine primarily includes female students studying in Grade 6, adolescent girls aged 10 who do not attend school, and adolescent girls and students who missed the HPV vaccination drive conducted last year, currently studying from Grade 7 to Grade 10, and adolescents aged 11 to 14 years.

It is reported that on average, four women die every day from cervical cancer in Nepal. Last year, 33,759 individuals were vaccinated in Banke. The vaccine will be administered from Magh 25 to Falgun 4.