India has crossed the milestone of 80 lakh Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday, describing it as an important step towards strengthening preventive healthcare and protecting against HPV infections and associated cancers.
In a post on X, the Health Ministry said, “India has crossed 80 lakh HPV vaccinations, marking another important milestone in strengthening preventive healthcare and advancing protection against HPV infection and HPV-associated cancers.”
“With every vaccination, India takes another step towards a healthier, cancer-free future for its daughters,” the Ministry added.
The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for girls aged 14 years and above was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ajmer, Rajasthan, in February this year.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening prevention of cervical cancer among women in India by expanding access to HPV vaccination among adolescent girls.
By increasing vaccination coverage, the programme seeks to protect millions of girls from HPV infections and reduce the future burden of cervical cancer in the country.
Earlier this year, Indian-American radiation oncologist Dattatreyudu Nori said HPV vaccination could provide India with a significant advantage in its fight against cervical cancer and contribute to eliminating the disease in the coming years.
“Now, with the HPV vaccination, we have an upper hand, and in a few years, we’ll be able to eliminate cancer of the cervix from India,” Nori said in an interview with IANS.
The 2026 Padma Bhushan awardee described cervical cancer as a preventable, detectable, treatable and curable disease, making the continued loss of lives particularly distressing.
“Cancer of the cervix is preventable, is detectable, is treatable and curable,” he said.
Nori said around 200 women die of cervical cancer every day in India and welcomed the introduction of free HPV vaccination for girls, saying it could substantially strengthen prevention efforts.
He also highlighted what he described as significant improvements in India’s healthcare sector over the past 12 years, particularly in cancer prevention and treatment.
“A lot of significant positive changes have happened in healthcare,” he said.
Nori also cited the establishment of the National Cancer Institute and the expansion of cancer treatment facilities among important steps taken during this period. (IANS)
