Health Ministry has still not decided on its plan for cervical cancer vaccination campaign: Report – Healthcare News

The Health Ministry is yet to decide on the schedule of the vaccination campaign against the human papillomavirus (HPV). According to the National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI) recommendation, the HPV vaccination is for adolescent girls between the ages of nine and 14 years.

Reportedly, the Ministry is set to offer the vaccine in the second quarter of this year.

In June 2022, the Health Ministry had announced that the NTAGI recommended the vaccine’s inclusion in the government’s universal immunisation programme. This would involve a one-time catch-up shot for nine to 14-year-old adolescent girls, followed by a routine introduction at nine years.

The announcement was made after evaluating the fresh evidence on the cervical cancer burden and the effectiveness of a single dose of HPV vaccine, including clinical trial data and Sikkim’s experience with the vaccine.

The World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has maintained that the HPV vaccine is highly effective for the prevention of HPV serotypes 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer.

Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. In India, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and India contributes to the largest proportion of the global cervical cancer burden, according to the Union government’s data.

According to a report by The Hindu, in India, the vaccine faced a major backlash over a decade ago. Moreover, the government was criticised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its 2013 report, titled “Alleged Irregularities in the Conduct of Studies using Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine by PATH in India’’.

Reportedly, the Committee took note of the reported deaths of some female children and adolescents in Andhra Pradesh’s Khammam district following HPV vaccine trials trials carried out by an American agency, the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), in collaboration with the government. Moreover, the Committee had found the entire matter “very intriguing and fishy”. The project was reportedly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an American charity.

Cervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease if it is detected early and managed effectively. According to The Hindu report, the vaccination will be provided at a health facility, while for out-of-school girls, the campaign will be conducted through community outreach and mobile teams, the Health Ministry had said while alerting State governments to its efforts to initiate the campaign.