With HPV vaccine rollout, AIIMS oncologist says it’s the beginning of the end for cervical cancer in India

Under this national campaign, the Government of India will offer the quadrivalent Gardasil vaccine free to 14-year-old girls at government facilities nationwide — a step made possible through partnership with Gavi, the vaccine alliance. This is also aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 by vaccinating 90% of girls before age 15.

Evidence from countries that have integrated HPV vaccination at scale shows remarkable impact.
Australia, with adolescent vaccine coverage exceeding 80%, is on track to virtually eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem within the next decade. Sweden and several other European nations have reported substantial declines in precancerous cervical lesions, while programmes across Africa supported by Gavi have reached millions of girls, markedly raised population immunity and strengthened health systems.

As countries from Bhutan to the United States (US) have shown, high HPV vaccine coverage leads to marked reductions in cervical cancer, making elimination an achievable goal rather than a distant aspiration. In India, where 1,27,526 new cervical cancer cases and 79,906 deaths were reported annually as per 2022 data from Global Cancer Observatory, this extraordinary campaign brings hope that a preventable tragedy can finally become history.

In lower-income countries alone, over 86 million girls have been vaccinated, preventing an estimated 1.4 million future cervical cancer deaths. These achievements demonstrate what comprehensive well-resourced immunisation strategies can accomplish when misinformation is countered with science and sustained outreach.

This government initiative is both a public health imperative and a symbolic recommitment to evidence-based medicine. The government is expanding equitable access and sending a clear message that science and prevention must prevail over fear-mongering by offering HPV vaccination at no cost through a national campaign.

There is a strong need for a culturally sensitive communication campaign alongside vaccine delivery. This can be effectively achieved through engagement with schools, community leaders and frontline health workers. We must use all communication channels, including digital and social media, to dispel myths, build confidence and normalise HPV vaccination as routine adolescent care.

The absence of a proper communication strategy can lead to situations such as the one in Japan, where the recommendation for HPV vaccine use had to be suspended in 2013 following excessive reporting about adverse events in those receiving the vaccine, leading to public distrust. While the recommendation was resumed in 2022, the incident could have been avoided with clear communication about the benefits of the vaccine and addressing any concerns that people may have.

(The author is Assistant Professor, Oncology, AIIMS-New Delhi and Secretary General at the Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention)