What Happened
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on February 28, 2026, from Ajmer, Rajasthan
- The programme targets approximately 1.15 crore 14-year-old girls annually, providing a free single dose of the Gardasil-4 (quadrivalent) vaccine at government health facilities across all states and union territories
- The Gardasil-4 vaccine protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18 — the types responsible for around 70–80% of cervical cancers
- India adopted a single-dose schedule, aligned with 2022 WHO recommendations showing one dose provides protection comparable to two or three doses in adolescent girls
- The campaign fulfils the commitment made in the Union Budget 2024 to introduce HPV vaccination into the national immunisation programme
- With this launch, India joins over 160 countries that have included HPV vaccination in their national immunisation schedules
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women: India records over 1.2 lakh new cases and approximately 80,000 deaths annually (WHO GLOBOCAN 2022)
Static Topic Bridges
Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and India's Vaccine Architecture
India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public health programmes in the world, targeting pregnant women and children below 2 years, and now expanding to adolescents. Launched in 1985 as the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), the UIP is implemented through the national health mission infrastructure — ANMs, ASHAs, and anganwadi workers — and covers vaccines for 13 major vaccine-preventable diseases. The addition of HPV to the UIP marks the programme's first cancer-prevention vaccine, representing a qualitative expansion of its mandate beyond communicable disease prevention.
- UIP was launched in 1978 as EPI, expanded as UIP from 1985
- Currently covers vaccines for: TB, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, measles, rubella, JE, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease, IPV, and now HPV
- Mission Indradhanush (2015) was launched to immunise children and pregnant women missed by routine UIP
- India achieved polio eradication in 2014 (WHO certified)
- The HPV addition is part of the broader National Health Mission (NHM) framework
- The programme opens a ₹1,300 crore annual procurement market for HPV vaccines
Connection to this news: The HPV drive represents the UIP's first adolescent cancer-prevention vaccine, expanding the programme's demographic reach from infancy to early adolescence and its scope from infection prevention to oncological prevention.
Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer Burden in India
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of more than 150 related viruses, of which high-risk types — particularly HPV 16 and HPV 18 — are established as the primary cause of cervical cancer. Persistent infection with these strains causes cellular changes in the cervix that, if undetected and untreated, progress to invasive cervical cancer over 10–20 years. Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women; in India, it disproportionately affects women in rural and low-income settings due to limited access to screening. The vaccine is most effective when administered before sexual debut, making early adolescence (9–14 years) the optimal vaccination window.
- HPV 16 and 18 cause approximately 70–80% of all cervical cancers worldwide
- India's cervical cancer burden: over 1.2 lakh new cases and ~80,000 deaths per year (GLOBOCAN 2022)
- India accounts for about 25% of the global cervical cancer burden
- Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women (after breast cancer)
- Vaccine efficacy: 93–100% against cervical cancer caused by vaccine-covered HPV strains when given before exposure
- Single-dose schedule: endorsed by WHO in 2022; effective for at least 10 years
- Countries that introduced HPV vaccination decades ago (UK, Australia) have seen cervical cancer incidence fall by over 80% in vaccinated cohorts
Connection to this news: India's HPV drive directly addresses the disproportionate cervical cancer burden — reaching 1.15 crore girls annually through government infrastructure could, over a decade, dramatically reduce the incidence of India's second most common women's cancer.
India's Women's Health Policy Framework
Improving women's health outcomes is central to multiple flagship government programmes. The National Health Policy 2017 set a target to reduce the under-5 mortality rate and improve maternal health indicators; the National Cancer Control Programme targets early detection and treatment of cancers. The Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) specifically addresses adolescent health across reproductive health, nutrition, and mental health. The HPV vaccination programme integrates with the school health infrastructure under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), using school-based outreach to reach 14-year-old girls efficiently.
- National Health Policy 2017: calls for comprehensive cancer prevention including vaccination
- National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP): central scheme for cancer screening and treatment
- RBSK (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram): school and Anganwadi-based child health screening
- RKSK: addresses adolescent reproductive health, nutrition, mental health
- PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat): covers cancer treatment costs for eligible beneficiaries
- India's National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS) focuses on cancer awareness and screening
Connection to this news: The HPV vaccination drive is anchored in the intersection of adolescent health policy, cancer prevention, and UIP infrastructure — each existing scheme's network is leveraged for delivery and monitoring.
Key Facts & Data
- Launch date: February 28, 2026, from Ajmer, Rajasthan
- Target group: 14-year-old girls (approximately 1.15 crore annually)
- Vaccine: Gardasil-4 (Quadrivalent — HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18)
- Dosage: Single dose (based on WHO 2022 recommendation)
- Vaccine efficacy: 93–100% against covered HPV strains
- India's cervical cancer incidence: over 1.2 lakh new cases per year
- India's cervical cancer deaths: approximately 80,000 per year (GLOBOCAN 2022)
- India's share of global cervical cancer burden: approximately 25%
- Countries with HPV in national immunisation schedule: over 160
- Cervical cancer rank: 2nd most common cancer in Indian women (after breast cancer)
- India's HPV vaccine procurement market value: approximately ₹1,300 crore per year
- India achieved WHO polio-free certification: 2014 (context of UIP achievements)