Vaccination of Girls Against Cervical Cancer from June 2023

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry is expected to include HPV vaccine against cervical cancer in the national immunisation programme for girls aged 9 to 14 years in June 2023. A global tender is likely to be floated in April for the purpose, reported PTI quoting official sources.

On January 24, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched HPV vaccine Ceravac produced by Serum Institute of India.

At present, India imports HPV vaccines. As per reports, each dose of the imported vaccine costs more than Rs 4,000 in India. In September 2022, Poonawalla of SII had said that each dose of Cervavac vaccine would cost Rs 200 to Rs 400.

Around 16 per cent of the world’s total women population lives in India. About one-fourth of all cervical cancer cases in the world happen in India. One-third of global cervical cancer deaths occur in India. Every year around 80,000 women develop cervical cancer in India and 35,000 of them die.

So, India has started developing its own HPV vaccine. Serum Institute of India, with support from the Centre’s Department of Biotechnology has developed HPV vaccine. Three other Indian vaccine manufacturers are also in various stages of developing the HPV vaccine.