Government’s nationwide Gardasil drive targets 14-year-olds in a landmark push to shield the next generation from a disease that claims 42,000 Indian lives annually
In a significant stride toward women’s preventive healthcare, the central government is set to launch a nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign this month, offering free single-dose Gardasil shots to girls aged 14 across India.
The quadrivalent vaccine provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18 responsible for over 80 percent of cervical cancer cases in India as well as types 6 and 11. More than 10 million girls are expected to receive the jab in this round.
India has already received 10 million doses procured through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, with a total of 26 million doses expected by 2027. Doses have been dispatched to all states, and health workers have been trained for administration.
Eligible beneficiaries can register on the government’s U-WIN portal, submitting age-verification documents before booking slots at the nearest government facility.
Cervical cancer remains India’s second most common cancer among women, recording nearly 80,000 fresh cases and over 42,000 deaths each year numbers the government is now directly targeting through its Swastha Nari campaign.
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