Health authorities have also put in place monitoring measures to ensure safety during the campaign.

Nationwide HPV Vaccination for Girls Rolled Out After Expert Consultations, Govt Tells Lok Sabha

A nationwide vaccination campaign against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for adolescent girls was launched earlier this year after consultations with leading global and national health institutions, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The programme began on February 28 and provides the Gardasil-4 vaccine free of cost to 14-year-old girls through government health facilities across India.

Vaccinations are being carried out at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, sub-district and district hospitals as well as government medical colleges as part of the public health system’s immunisation network.

Health authorities have also put in place monitoring measures to ensure safety during the campaign. According to the government, vaccines are administered in the presence of medical officers, while vaccination centres are linked with nearby health facilities for round-the-clock support in case of any health complications following immunisation.

Providing details in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said the rollout of the campaign followed extensive consultations and preparations, including training of healthcare personnel.

He added that recommendations from several scientific bodies were considered while designing the programme. These included guidance from the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.