Kathmandu, March 11: Nearly 240,000 adolescent girls have received the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer.According to the Ministry of Health and Population, a total of 237,972 adolescent girls were vaccinated against cervical cancer during a campaign conducted from Magh 25 to Falgun 15. The information was provided by Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Immunization Section under the Department of Health Services.
Among those vaccinated, 215,314 girls received the vaccine as part of the routine HPV immunization program, while 22,648 girls had missed last year’s vaccination campaign.According to Dr Gautam, the routine vaccination group included 201,089 girls studying in Grade 6 and 13,585 out-of-school girls aged 10 years.
Similarly, 14,586 students currently studying in Grades 7 to 10, who had missed the HPV vaccination campaign last year, received the vaccine during this campaign. In addition, 8,049 out-of-school girls aged between 11 and 14 years were also vaccinated.
The vaccines were administered to students and adolescent girls at their respective schools and health institutions. Dr Gautam said that vaccination data from the districts of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Palpa, and Rolpa are yet to be received.
Vaccination Yet to Begin in Four Districts
The vaccination campaign has not yet been conducted in four districts in the Himalayan region due to school holidays. According to Dr Gautam, the campaign could not be carried out in Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, and Manang.
He added that the HPV vaccination campaign in these districts will be conducted in the month of Chaitra. Human Papillomavirus infection is the primary cause that increases the risk of cervical cancer, and vaccination against the virus is considered essential to prevent the disease.- RSS
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