Bihar: 13.15 lakh girls aged 14-15 years to be vaccinated against HPV over three months

Patna, Feb 28 (PTI) A total of 13.15 lakh girls aged 14-15 years will be vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) over the next three months in Bihar, Health Minister Mangal Pandey said on Saturday.

He was speaking during the launch of a three-month HPV vaccination campaign in Patna, aimed at protecting adolescent girls from cervical cancer in the state.

The programme, held at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna, coincided with the national HPV vaccination launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Pandey said, “Around 13.15 lakh girls aged 14-15 years would be vaccinated over the next three months under the campaign. This initiative marks the beginning of a big chapter in healthcare services in the country, and Bihar is at the forefront.” He claimed that Bihar was the first state to initiate HPV vaccination in India.

“In the last one and a half years, the Bihar government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has administered the first dose to 6.79 lakh adolescent girls and the second dose to 85,000 girls,” Pandey said.

After the second dose is registered for the remaining girls, the state government’s initiative will be integrated into the national programme, he added.

During the event, a live telecast of the national HPV vaccination launch led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Rajasthan was screened.

The minister said the Centre has already supplied about 6.5 lakh vaccine doses to Bihar, which are being dispatched to all districts.

The doses will be available from district hospitals to community health centres at the block level, he added.

Pandey highlighted that 78,499 patients died of cervical cancer nationwide last year.

It is the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer, he said.

“In view of this threat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved to save the daughters’ lives in future,” he said.

The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign targets vaccinating about 1.15 crore adolescent girls annually across states and Union Territories, with the vaccine to be provided free of cost at designated government health centres. PTI SUK NN