Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the nationwide (Human Papillomavirus) HPV Vaccination Programme for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer, marking a significant milestone in India’s public health journey.
The nationwide rollout aims to vaccinate approximately 1.15 crore girls annually across all States and Union Territories. The vaccine will be provided free of cost at designated government healthcare facilities, reinforcing the government’s commitment to the vision of Swastha Nari by ensuring prevention, protection, and equity in women’s healthcare.
The vaccination drive will be conducted at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals, as well as Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals. The programme will operate on a voluntary basis, with informed consent from parents or guardians mandatory before vaccination.
According to GLOBOCAN 2022 data, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, with over 1.2 lakh new cases and nearly 80,000 deaths annually. Scientific evidence confirms that almost all cervical cancer 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 percent of cervical cancer cases in India.
Despite being largely preventable through vaccination and early screening, cervical cancer continues to place a heavy burden on families and the healthcare system. The nationwide HPV vaccination initiative directly addresses this challenge by preventing HPV infection before it progresses to cancer.
India’s national programme will use the quadrivalent HPV vaccine Gardasil, one of the most widely studied vaccines globally. Since 2006, more than 500 million doses of HPV vaccines have been administered worldwide, demonstrating near 100 percent effectiveness in preventing cervical cancer caused by vaccine-covered HPV types.
With this launch, India joins over 160 countries that have incorporated HPV vaccination into their national immunisation schedules.
The special campaign will run in mission mode for three months, during which eligible girls can receive the vaccine daily at designated facilities. Thereafter, the vaccine will be available on routine immunisation days, ensuring sustained coverage.
The nationwide HPV vaccination programme represents a major preventive healthcare reform, where scientific evidence, policy commitment, and implementation readiness converge to create measurable public health impact.
