HPV vaccination: Pune Zilla Parishad partners with Serum Institute of India, Jivika Foundation for roll out in Jan 2026

According to World Health Organization data, one in every five women globally suffering from cervical cancer is from India.

Written by Anuradha Mascarenhas

Pune | Updated: December 12, 2025 03:27 PM IST

3 min read

Jivika Foundation has already supported the administration of over 45,000 HPV vaccine doses through support of corporates across the country. (File Photo)

The Pune Zilla Parishad, in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Jivika Foundation, will start an HPV vaccination program among rural girl children in the district beginning January 2026.

Gajanan Patil, Chief Executive Officer, Pune Zilla Parishad, told The Indian Express that HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer will commence in all schools in Pune district. “This is a process, and the parents will be counselled about the importance of vaccination against cervical cancer. This is an ambitious exercise, and the magnitude of this crisis requires coordinated efforts from corporates and community-based organisations. Hence, we have collaborated with key partners for this campaign,” Patil added.

Jivika Foundation has already supported the administration of over 45,000 HPV vaccine doses through support of corporates across the country.

“We have been recognised as an implementation partner by the Government of Maharashtra and have been entrusted with working across 11 districts to drive awareness, reach adolescent girls and administer vaccination,” Jignesh Patel, Chairman, Jivika Foundation, said.

He added that in Pune district, Jivika Foundation has signed an MoU with the Pune Zilla Parishad to collectively work towards making the district cervical cancer-free.

“Alongside vaccination, the program is also focused on creating strong awareness around screening for adult women and ensuring patient hand-holding for those who test positive, supporting them through diagnosis and continuity of care. These efforts are aligned with the WHO’s 90-70-90 strategy for cervical cancer elimination,” Patel further said.

“We began our journey in Pune with a strong belief that equitable and quality healthcare must reach the most underserved communities. To be able to contribute to making Pune a cervical cancer-free district is a deep responsibility to strengthen awareness, vaccination and screening efforts.

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“We are looking at a target population of 50,000 school girls (age 9-14) at Baramati, Indapur and Daund initially. Two doses will be given each six months apart – Serum has committed one lakh doses which will be sent to ZP, and we will be taking up the implementation program,” Patel said.

According to World Health Organization data, one in every five women globally suffering from cervical cancer is from India. With 25 per cent of global cervical cancer deaths occurring in India, often due to late diagnosis, experts have also called for stepping up preventive screening strategies.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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