The district’s Health Department has begun preparations for a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign to be launched in the coming months, with the first phase targeting 15-year-old girls with free doses to help prevent cervical cancer at an early stage, officials said. No official roll out date has been confirmed yet, they added.
A senior official at the health department, requesting anonymity, said the first phase is expected to cover the targeted population within three months and will be followed by intensive screening to assess the prevalence of cervical cancer after vaccination. “The vaccine to be administered will be ‘Gardasil-4’ in a minimum of two doses at designated government health institutions with strict adherence to safety protocols and post-vaccination monitoring,” the senior official said.
Preparations were reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Sonu Bhatt last week, where responsibilities were assigned across departments. The health department will ensure vaccine availability, cold-chain management, trained staff deployment, adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) management and smooth conduct of sessions, officials said. Anganwadi workers will conduct door-to-door surveys to identify and line-list beneficiaries and run community awareness drives, the official added.
Training sessions for existing staff were also reviewed at the meeting. The Education Department and Panchayati Raj committees will conduct awareness programmes through parent-teacher meetings in schools and villages, while mobilisation in rural areas will take place through Gram Sabhas.
Officials said screening drives will be held at 574 registered schools across the district to determine vaccine requirements. “Around 143,000 children studying in those schools will be surveyed to decide the procurement strategy as part of the ongoing micro-planning,” the senior official said. Private health institutions and urban local bodies will also be involved in sanitation support, awareness campaigns and reporting of adverse events.
The drive will also cover out-of-school adolescents through community outreach programmes, including vaccination schedules and mobilisation to encourage them to visit nearby primary health centres for immunisation coverage, officials said.