Nepal prepares itself for HPV vaccination drive; GAVI provides Anti-cancer ‘HPV’ vaccine doses to Nepal

Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population has imported Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines administered against cervical cancer with the assistance of the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI). GAVI will provide only 1.77 million vaccines to Nepal. 460,940 doses of the vaccine have been received now, the vaccines have been kept in a storage room at Teku in Kathmandu Valley and will be sent to all the provinces gradually.

The government of Nepal has declared a vaccination drive from February 5 to protect adolescent girls from cancer from an early age. As part of the 15-day campaign, 1,688,900 girls aged 10 to 14 years from class 6 to 10 and out of school will be vaccinated, Child Health and Vaccination Section chief Dr Abhiyan Gautam informed. Human papillomavirus infection is the main cause of increasing the risk of cervical cancer. Human papillomavirus infection is caused by premature marriage, early child delivery, giving birth to more children, having children at short intervals and having sex with multiple people, excessive smoking and drinking, and not paying attention to genital hygiene.

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in Nepal, followed by breast cancer. Every year, four women die of cervical cancer in Nepal.