HPV vaccines to be administered to children in four districts

KATHMANDU: The government is set to launch a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign targeting cervical cancer in four districts this week.

Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, head of the Child Health and Immunisation Branch at the Department of Health Services, said the campaign will be conducted in Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, and Manang. These districts had missed the earlier nationwide campaign in February due to school closures caused by snowfall.

The HPV vaccine was administered to 6th-grade students and 10-year-old girls outside of schools across the country from February 8 to 27, except in the four districts mentioned. Children from grades 7 to 10, as well as out-of-school girls aged 11 to 14, were also vaccinated. During the campaign, a total of 323,000 girls across 73 districts received the HPV vaccine, Dr. Gautam stated.

He added that health workers in the four remaining districts have been trained, and necessary preparations are underway to ensure smooth implementation of the campaign.

Dr. Gautam emphasized that the main cause of increased risk of cervical cancer is infection with the human papillomavirus, highlighting the importance of the vaccination campaign.