HPV vaccination campaign kicks off

KATHMANDU: The government started an HPV vaccination campaign across the country on Tuesday.

Iniating the campaign, Minister for Health, Population and Environment Pradip Paudel said the campaign against cervical cancer is a step toward making Nepal healthier. “The government aims to ensure that the targeted group is not left out, as vaccines and human resources have reached across the country. This will contribute to building a healthy Nepal and will work toward making Nepal healthier in the future,” he added.

Likewise, Health Secretary Dr Roshan Pokharel said the campaign has been launched with the objective of finding a permanent solution to cervical cancer. “Every year, we will administer this vaccine to adolescent girls through the regular immunization schedule. We aim to ensure a safe future for every child,” he added.

Also speaking on the occasion, Dr Bikas Devkota, the director general of the Department of Health, said Npeali is among 145 countries administering HPV vaccine. “Every day, six people are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and four people die from it,” he said. “Although this is a school-centered vaccination campaign, girls who are out of school will also be vaccinated.”

The vaccination campaign will run until February 18. The government aims to vaccinate a total of 1,688,768 adolescent girls. The vaccine will be administered to girls studying in grades 6 to 10 or aged 10 to 14 years.