Telangana rolls out HPV vaccination drive targeting 3.5-4 lakh girls; shots free at govt facilities

Hyderabad, Feb 28 (PTI) Telangana Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha on Saturday launched a HPV vaccination drive that will cover nearly 3.5-4 lakh girls aged 14-15 years across the state over three months.

The minister launched the campaign at King Koti Hospital in the presence of Congress MP Anil Kumar Yadav and senior officials.

For the first month, the vaccine will be available at government general hospitals, area hospitals and community health centres. It will subsequently be extended to primary health centres (PHCs), officials said.

The Gardasil vaccine, which costs Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 per dose in private hospitals, is being provided free of cost by the government.

In Telangana, 55,000-60,000 cancer cases are reported annually. Cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women, affects around 3,200 women in the state every year, officials said.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajanarasimha said the state government has set up day care cancer centres for patients and is also introducing mobile screening units.

The government will soon take further steps, including declaring cancer a notifiable disease, he said.

He also said the state has appointed noted cancer specialist Nori Dattatreyudu as an adviser.

The minister urged parents to ensure that eligible girls receive the vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.

Human Papillomavirus, according to the World Health Organisation website, is the name of a group of 200 known viruses. They do not cause concerns in most people, but infection with some high-risk types is common and can cause genital warts or cancer.

Cancers from HPV can be prevented with vaccines, it added. PTI SJR SSK