00:00The government is preparing to launch a nationwide HPV vaccination drive to prevent cervical cancer among adolescent girls.
00:06Sources tell CNBC TV 18 the vaccine will be provided free of cost to only 14-year-old girls from
00:11government health facilities.
00:12Timzee with more.
00:15India is preparing to roll out one of the largest preventive health care campaigns for women and adolescent girls.
00:21Sources told CNBC TV 18 that the government of India is set to launch a nationwide HPV vaccination drive aimed
00:28at preventing cervical cancer.
00:30The vaccine, sources said, will be provided free of cost to only 14-year-old girls across the country through
00:38government health facilities.
00:39Sources further shared that eligible beneficiaries will receive the HPV vaccine Gardasil 4 developed by Merck and Company.
00:46In the private market, this vaccine costs roughly around 4,000 rupees per dose, making this publicly funded rollout a
00:55significant boost for preventive health care access in India.
00:58To ensure uninterrupted availability, India has secured HPV vaccine supplies through the Vaccine Alliance CAVI.
01:05Now the program is expected to run as a special nationwide vaccination campaign and it will not be part of
01:12the universal immunization program.
01:14Government data cited by sources indicates that nearly 1.15 crore girls turn 14 every year in India and they
01:22will form the core target group for this campaign.
01:26Importantly, the rollout will be fully digitized and integrated with the Uwin platform, which will manage registration, tracking and monitoring
01:35of beneficiaries, similar to how India handled its COVID vaccination drive.
01:40The initiative comes at a crucial time, with cervical cancer continuing to be one of the leading causes of cancer
01:46-related deaths among women in India.
01:49Once launched, the campaign is expected to significantly expand access to HPV vaccination and strengthening India's long-term fight against
01:57cervical cancer.
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