Nepal Launches Nationwide HPV Vaccination for Girls

The government has started a nationwide campaign to vaccinate girls against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) from today. The campaign focuses on girls in Grade 6 and out-of-school girls aged 10 and above, and will run until February 27.

Girls in Grades 7 to 10 and out-of-school girls aged 11 to 14 who missed last year’s vaccination will also be vaccinated during this period.

Grade 6 students will get the vaccine at their schools, while other eligible girls can visit designated vaccination centers.

Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, chief of the Child Health and Vaccination Branch, urged all eligible girls to get vaccinated, saying the vaccine is completely effective. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Nepal and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

Last year, about 1.7 million girls were vaccinated nationwide. This year, around 350,000 girls are expected to receive the vaccine during the 20-day campaign.