The government has announced a nationwide roll-out of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for all 14-year-old girls, with the programme likely to begin next month. A high-intensity 90-day campaign will aim to ensure maximum coverage in the first phase.
Under the initiative, a single dose of Gardasil 4, manufactured by US-based Merck & Co (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), will be administered free of cost at government health facilities.
Beneficiaries will be able to book appointments through the U-WIN portal. The vaccine targets four strains of HPV, including HPV 16 and 18 — the two types responsible for nearly 83 percent of cervical cancer cases in India.
The government has secured 2.6 crore doses from Gavi, enough to sustain the programme for the next two years.
With an estimated 1.15 crore 14-year-old girls in the country, officials say supplies have already been distributed across all states and Union Territories to fast-track implementation.
The formal launch is expected in the first week of March, accompanied by a major awareness drive explaining eligibility, benefits and the importance of early vaccination. Cervical cancer remains one of India’s biggest health burdens.
According to Globocan 2022, the country reported nearly 1.27 lakh new cervical cancer cases and close to 80,000 deaths in a single year, making it the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer.
“A nationwide HPV vaccination programme for young girls is a powerful, practical step toward changing that reality. By ensuring free and equitable access, we are investing in prevention, protecting future generations, and moving closer to eliminating cervical cancer in India,” Dr Dinesh Pendharkar, director, oncology, Sarvodaya Hospitals.
CERVICAL CANCER CRISIS
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by persistent infection with oncogenic types of HPV — a common sexually transmitted infection that often shows no symptoms and is typically cleared by the immune system.
However, long-term infection with high-risk strains can lead to abnormal cell changes and cancer. HPV vaccination for girls aged 9–14 years has been shown to be highly effective in preventing infection and significantly reducing cervical and other HPV-related cancers, including anal cancers.
Studies suggest the vaccine can reduce the risk of cervical cancer by as much as 93 to 100 percent. Globally, six HPV vaccines are licensed — three bivalent, two quadrivalent and one nonavalent.
WHY GARDASIL 4
In India’s private market, Cervarix by UK-based GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Cervavac by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), and Gardasil 4 and Gardasil 9 are available for broader age groups, typically administered in two or three doses.
The only nonvalent HPV shot, Gardasil 9, priced above Rs 10,000 per dose, protects against additional high-risk strains responsible for over 90 percent of HPV-related cancers, including anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile and throat cancers.
However, the government opted for Gardasil 4 in the national programme, given that HPV 16 and 18 account for the overwhelming majority of cervical cancer cases in India.
The decision to adopt a single-dose schedule aligns with the WHO’s 2022 position paper recommending one-or two-dose regimens.
A single dose significantly simplifies delivery, improves compliance and makes large-scale immunisation more feasible in resource-constrained settings.
According to cancer researcher Dr Ravi Mehrotra, while Gardasil 4 is a shade less effective than Gardasil 9 – offering nearly 80–90 percent effectiveness against cervical cancer – its roll-out is still important for India.
