Kohima, February 28 In a major effort to eliminate cervical cancer, Nagaland launched the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program on Saturday, targeting all eligible 14-year-old girls. The vaccine will be provided free of charge at government health facilities across the state.
The state-level launch took place at the Naga Hospital Authority in Kohima, coinciding with the national rollout by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ajmer, Rajasthan.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was scheduled to attend the event, but was unable to due to commitments for the upcoming budget session of the state Assembly.
Addressing the gathering, Anoop Khinchi, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, described cervical cancer as a major public health concern in India and worldwide.
He stated that nearly 99.7 per cent of cervical cancer cases are caused by persistent infection of the genital tract with high-risk types of HPV.
Citing national data, he said India records an average of 1.25 lakh new cervical cancer cases annually, with around 78,000 deaths each year.
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in India, accounting for 18.3 per cent of female cancers.
The disease commonly affects women aged between 35 and 55, often disrupting families and the upbringing of children, he said.
Emphasizing that cervical cancer is fully preventable through vaccination, Khinchi said the campaign aims to vaccinate all eligible girls aged 14 years with a single dose of the Gardasil 4 vaccine.
He informed that the vaccination drive will be conducted over a three-month period, during which the HPV vaccine will be available daily at government health facilities to ensure maximum coverage.
The vaccine is voluntary, and parental or guardian consent is mandatory, he informed.
Referring to the World Health Organization’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer, Khinchi highlighted the 90-70-90 targets to be achieved by 2030: 90 per cent of girls fully vaccinated by age 15, 70 per cent of women screened by ages 35 and 45, and 90 per cent of women with cervical disease receiving appropriate treatment.
The WHO also proposes reducing cervical cancer incidence to below four cases per one lakh women in every country.
