Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of the free HPV vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls to combat cervical cancer
India’s preventive efforts against cervical cancer marked a milestone on Saturday, with the launch of the countrywide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from Ajmer, Rajasthan.
The national programme will use multinational MSD’s Gardasil-4 Quadrivalent vaccine that protects against HPV strains 6, 11, 16, 18, in a single-dose, in line with global scientific evidence and World Health Organization recommendations, the Health Ministry said.
“Vaccination is voluntary, free of cost and will be administered only after parental/guardian consent,” the note said, adding that it would be registered on the U-WIN digital platform, or through a walk-ins at designated government health facilities. About 1.2 crore girls in the age-goup are to be covered in the campaign.
Cervical cancer is a public health concern globally, besides being the second most common cancer among women in India, with over 1 lakh 20 thousand new cases and nearly 80 thousand deaths reported annually as per the WHO GLOBOCAN report 2022. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, particularly types 16 and 18 – has been established as the primary cause of cervical cancer, the note said.
The vaccination campaign aims to prevent cervical cancer by protecting girls before potential exposure to HPV infection, the note said. The vaccine has been validated and recommended by global and national expert bodies including the WHO and India’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), it added.
Globally 160 out of 194 countries have introduced HPV vaccines under their national programmes; and 90 countries have adopted a single-dose schedule, including majority of the Southeast Asian countries, it said. About 80 countries are using Gardasil-4 vaccine in their National Immunization Programme, and of this, 61 countries are implementing a single-dose schedule of Gardasil-4, the Ministry said.
Adverse reactions
Girls who have already received a HPV vaccine (Gardasil, Gardasil-9, Cervarix, or Cervavac) – will have their vaccination status updated on the U-WIN portal.
All vaccination sessions are conducted under the supervision of trained medical officers, with functional Cold Chain Points (CCPs) and links to 24×7 government health facilities for management of any rare Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), the Ministry added.
After the three month campaign, HPV vaccines will be available on routine immunisation days, the note said. The vaccines are being administered at Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, Sub-District Hospitals, District Hospitals, Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals, it added.
Published on February 28, 2026
