Over 2,400 girls in Baitadi to receive HPV vaccination against cervical cancer

Baitadi: An HPV vaccination campaign is underway in Baitadi district, targeting 2,453 girls to help prevent cervical cancer. According to Harish Bhatta, Vaccination Supervisor Inspector at the Health Office, the campaign is being conducted across the district from Magh 10 to Falgun 2.

The vaccination will be administered to girls studying in class 6 at schools in all 10 local levels, 10-year-old out-of-school girls, and girls who were missed in last year’s campaign.

Last year, the HPV vaccine was provided as part of a special campaign, while this year it has been included in the regular vaccination program. A total of 2,386 girls studying in class 6, 61 girls missed last year, and six 10-year-old out-of-school girls are scheduled to be vaccinated this year in Baitadi.

In the previous campaign, 10,310 girls studying in grades 6 to 10 and out-of-school girls aged 10 to 14 received the HPV vaccine. Local authorities in each municipality have designated schools as vaccination centers and are preparing to administer the vaccine to adolescents this year.

Dr. Pawin Upadhyay, acting chief of the district hospital, emphasized that the HPV vaccine is completely safe and should be administered with confidence. The Health Office stated that since cervical cancer continues to claim the lives of women in Nepal every year, timely vaccination is essential to prevent the disease.