HPV shots jump fourfold in a week in Rajasthan; Phalodi tops coverage

Jaipur: HPV vaccination campaign has picked up sharply in the state, with doses administered rising from 7,000 to 27,712 within seven days as the health department intensified its rollout for girls aged 14-15.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ajmer on Feb 28, the campaign targets 8.3 lakh eligible girls. So far, it has covered 3.3% of the target population in its first two months.

The acceleration comes after concerns over a slow start. On April 21, TOI highlighted the need to scale up the campaign after only 7,720 girls had been vaccinated in the first 50 days across 2,795 sessions, averaging just three vaccinations per session. In the days since, the pace has improved significantly.

Phalodi, Bhilwara and Jodhpur have emerged as the top-performing districts, while Sawai Madhopur, Didwana-Kuchaman and Sriganganagar remain at the bottom.

In Phalodi, 1,336 of 9,343 eligible girls have been vaccinated, taking coverage to 14.3% as of April 25. Bhilwara has covered 12.7% of its 28,743 eligible girls, while Jodhpur has reached 12.3% of its 36,514 target group.

“We have made available HPV vaccines in all the districts for easy accessibility to the beneficiaries,” said Dr Raghuraj Singh, project director (vaccination), health department.

The department has issued directions to districts that are lagging. Sawai Madhopur is currently the poorest performer, with only 71 girls vaccinated out of a target population of 16,795.

Health officials said HPV vaccination is critical because persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, especially 16 and 18, is the primary cause of cervical cancer. The nationwide campaign aims to protect girls before possible exposure to the virus.

Officials added that the vaccine is safe, effective and offers long-lasting protection against the strains responsible for most cervical cancer cases.
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