India Crosses 80 Lakh HPV Vaccine Doses in Six Months

India is already at 80 lakh doses of the HPV vaccine within only six months of starting the vaccination drive against cervical cancer in the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram have completed their vaccination drive with 100% coverage of their respective target groups. The programme provides a single dose of the HPV vaccine free of cost and voluntarily to 14-year-old girls at government health facilities after taking consent from their parents.

HPV Vaccination Drive Crosses Important Milestone

The programme was started in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2026. The programme seeks to vaccinate adolescent girls against HPV, the virus causing most cases of cervical cancer.

According to government estimates, around 1.2 crore girls attain the age of 14 years in India every year. This would be the target group for the programme each year.

Health experts have hailed the 80-lakh mark but emphasised that along with vaccination, there must be continuous awareness about and cervical cancer screening.

HPV Vaccination Status – Which States Are Ahead?

There are four states which have achieved 100% vaccination status among identified population,

• Gujarat
• Uttar Pradesh
• Madhya Pradesh
• Mizoram

Other states have also reported very good progress. Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Assam have surpassed the 90% mark, whereas Karnataka has surpassed 85% mark.

Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Kerala, Telangana and Odisha have surpassed 60% vaccination mark.

Number wise, it is Uttar Pradesh where more than 22 lakh adolescent girls have been vaccinated so far.

The success has been credited to the implementation of strategy, community mobilization and reaching out to districts by health workers.

Importance of HPV Vaccination

The issue of cervical cancer continues to be an important health problem in India. According to IARC, there were over 1.27 lakhs of new cases of cervical cancer in India in 2022.

Cervical cancer is preventable because almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by chronic infections with HPV. Therefore, vaccination against HPV before being exposed to the virus can help prevent cervical cancer.

But still, vaccination against HPV is not the only way to prevent cervical cancer. It is also necessary to conduct screenings for cervical cancer regularly after adulthood.

Opinion of Experts on the Milestone of 80 Lakh Doses

The oncologists have termed the number of vaccinations administered as significant, stressing continued awareness on the part of the general public.

HPV vaccination has also been mentioned as an intervention that not only helps in the prevention of cervical cancer but some vulvar, vaginal, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers caused due to HPV infection.

The ideal age group for administering HPV vaccines is between 9-14 years while catch-up vaccination might be recommended in other age groups based on individual need.