HPV vaccination drive unveiled in Vizag; 800 girls expected to take shot

HPV vaccination drive in Vizag aims to vaccinate 800 girls aged 9-14, addressing cervical cancer prevention.

Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police, Shankabratha Bagchi, inaugurated HPV vaccination programme on Saturday, which is being conducted for girls aged between nine to 14 years studying at Government Queen Mary School. The programme, which is being conducted for two days and is likely to be held in the coming weekends, was organised at Lions Cancer Hospital, Seethammadhara.

Mr. Bagchi said that cervical cancer remains a serious health concern among women and can be effectively prevented through timely administration of the HPV vaccine. He noted that both the Central and State governments are actively implementing such vaccination programmes as part of broader public health initiatives.

President of Chaitanya Sravanti voluntary organisation, Dr. Shireen Rahman, informed that their organisation has been actively conducting HPV vaccination programmes for the past two years. She further explained that approximately 800 girls are expected for second dose to be vaccinated over the weekend sessions. On the first day of the programme, more than 400 girls were administered the vaccine, she said.