The West Bengal government launched a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign across the state to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer. The campaign was kickstarted by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and aims to target approximately 7.65 lakh beneficiaries aged 14 years, news agency PTI reported.To combat the high burden of cervical cancer, India’s second most common cancer in women, the central government launched a nationwide free HPV vaccination campaign on February 28. (HT File) (HT_PRINT)The initiative follows the national launch of the HPV vaccination programme earlier this year, and aims to contribute to the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health threat, officials were quoted as saying.Vaccination is voluntary, free of cost and will be administered only after parental/guardian consent under the national programme.The officials said that under the campaign, girls who have completed 14 years of age but are yet to turn 15 will receive a single dose of the quadrivalent Gardasil-4 vaccine free of cost at designated government health facilities.Vaccination sessions would be conducted at 881 designated government health facilities, including medical colleges, district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, state general hospitals and block primary health centres, the officials said.How does HPV vaccination help?HPV vaccination has been validated and recommended by global and national expert bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO) and India’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).Cervical cancer has been a major public health across the world and in India. It is the second most common cancer among women in India, with over 1 lakh 20 thousand new cases and nearly 80 thousand deaths reported annually as per the WHO GLOBOCAN report 2022.Persistent infection with high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types, particularly types 16 and 18 – has been established as the primary cause of cervical cancer.The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign aims to prevent cervical cancer by protecting girls before potential exposure to HPV infection.The government has earlier said that the vaccine is safe, effective and provides long-lasting protection against HPV strains responsible for the majority of cervical cancer cases.How to avail HPV vaccineThe beneficiaries can pre-register and schedule appointments on the U-WIN digital platform, or opt for walk-in vaccination at designated government health facilities.Parental/guardian consent is mandatory and will be recorded digitally on U-WIN. In areas without internet connectivity, consent may be obtained in hard copy as per prescribed format.The U-WIN platform will be used for session planning, registration, recording and reporting, while the e-VIN portal will manage vaccine stocks and logistics.