Cervical cancer prevention: Tamil Nadu to roll out HPV vaccination pilot in four districts after Pongal

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will roll out a pilot programme to vaccinate adolescent girls against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) for the early prevention of cervical cancer in four districts, Tiruvannamalai, Ariyalur, Perambalur and Dharmapuri by the third week of January, after Pongal. The vaccination drive will cover govt and govt-aided schools.The pilot aims at benefiting 27,196 girls aged 14 studying in 5,455 schools in the four districts. The vaccine, being quadrivalent, provides protection against four common HPV strains: 6, 11, 16 and 18. “We chose high-burden districts to study implementation challenges through this pilot. Based on the findings, we plan to scale up the programme across the state, including Chennai, by the end of this year,” said Dr J Jayashree, programme officer (cancer care), National Health Mission (NHM) Tamil Nadu.She added that while HPV vaccination could begin from the age of nine, the pilot would initially cover only 14-year-old girls who would receive two doses. Older age groups require three doses as per vaccine labelling. The target beneficiaries were identified using the ‘Nalam’ app under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).Dr Vinay Kumar, joint director (immunisation), Directorate of Public Health (DPH), said awareness sessions were being conducted for school headmasters and staff ahead of the rollout in the four districts.The programme is funded by the state health and family welfare department and implemented by the DPH, with digital support from NHM Tamil Nadu.