Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign targeting 14-year-old girls, starting from Ajmer, Rajasthan. The campaign uses Gardasil 4, a single-dose quadrivalent vaccine protecting against HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11 that cause cervical cancer. This marks India's first state-funded HPV immunisation programme for this age group.
Cervical cancer remains India's fourth leading cancer among women, with approximately 99,000 new cases diagnosed annually and over 60,000 deaths reported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 2024. Globally, 90% of cervical cancer cases are preventable through HPV vaccination before sexual exposure. While private HPV vaccines (Gardasil, Cervarix) have been available in India since 2008, they cost ₹3,000-5,000 per dose—making them inaccessible for 75% of India's adolescent population. The WHO recommends HPV vaccination for girls aged 9-14 to achieve maximum efficacy. India previously had no public health programme for HPV immunisation, creating a critical equity gap in cancer prevention.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign on February 28, 2026, from Ajmer, Rajasthan. The programme uses Gardasil 4, a quadrivalent vaccine manufactured by Merck, administered as a single dose to all girls aged 14 years. The vaccine provides immunity against HPV types 16 and 18, which account for 70% of cervical cancers, plus types 6 and 11, which cause 90% of genital warts. Modi administered the first dose to a beneficiary during the ceremony and interacted with vaccinated girls. The single-dose regimen follows WHO's simplified recommendations for resource-limited settings, enabling high population coverage without requiring multiple follow-up doses.
For a 14-year-old girl in rural India without family resources, this vaccination eliminates a ₹12,000-15,000 lifetime expense for private HPV doses and reduces cervical cancer risk by approximately 90% if taken before sexual debut. Nationally, this programme is expected to prevent approximately 32,000-36,000 cervical cancer deaths annually by 2040, based on WHO impact models for similar programmes in Bangladesh and Vietnam. The single-dose strategy enables coverage of approximately 9-10 million girls annually (the annual cohort of 14-year-olds in India), estimated at ₹400-500 crore annually. This removes the primary barrier to HPV protection—cost and access—for 85% of India's adolescent girls who cannot afford private vaccines. The programme aligns with India's National Cancer Grid targets to reduce preventable cancers by 30% by 2030.
State health departments must establish vaccine distribution systems and train healthcare workers on administration protocols by May 31, 2026. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare will issue clinical guidelines on March 15, 2026, clarifying catch-up protocols for girls aged 15-19 years and management of contraindications. The first quarterly coverage report is expected by June 30, 2026, measuring vaccination rates across states. The programme requires integration with Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCHA) schemes and Ayushman Bharat networks. Adverse event monitoring systems must be activated immediately. Watch for state-level implementation timelines—reluctant states (historically slow on immunisation programmes) may delay rollout, creating interstate equity gaps affecting approximately 2-3 million girls annually.