NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region on Saturday congratulated the Government of India on the national launch of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign aimed at preventing cervical cancer among adolescent girls.
Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia, said on X, “This landmark step, led at the highest level of government, reflects India’s strong commitment to protecting adolescent girls from cervical cancer”.
“India’s introduction of HPV vaccination at a national scale will have a far-reaching impact accelerating progress not only for the country, but for the Region and the world. Despite being preventable, cervical cancer continues to claim the life of a woman every two minutes globally, and the WHO South-East Asia Region bears nearly one-quarter of the global burden. With today’s milestone, nine of the ten countries in the Region now include HPV vaccination in their national immunization programmes a powerful testament to growing regional momentum toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem” she said.
“WHO remains committed to support Member States achieve high and equitable coverage of vaccination, and to strengthen screening and treatment services in line with the global 90-70-90 targets for 2030 vaccinating 90% of girls by age 15, screening 70% of women by ages 35 and 45, and ensuring 90% of women with pre-cancer and invasive cancer receive appropriate treatment”,” she said.
