India reaches 8 million HPV vaccine doses in nationwide school-based drive

India’s Union health ministry reported that the country has crossed the 8 million mark for human papillomavirus vaccinations, a key step in preventing cervical cancer. The campaign, which started on February 28, offers a single dose of Gardasil-4 at no cost to girls aged 14 through primary health centres, community health centres, sub-district and district hospitals, and government medical colleges. Several states—including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha and Mizoram—are at the forefront of the rollout.

Parents must provide consent and can enroll their children via the U-WIN platform, while medical officers supervise each injection and coordinate with round-the-clock adverse-event-following-immunisation centres. Coordination with schools, local bodies and health workers aims to ensure broad access, and officials urge guardians to support the voluntary programme.