KATHMANDU, Feb 7: Nearly 600,000 girls have received the HPV vaccine in the first three days of the nationwide vaccination campaign against cervical cancer. According to the Immunization Section of the Family Welfare Division, 570,000 girls were vaccinated by Thursday evening since the campaign began on Tuesday.
"Within three days, 570,000 girls have been vaccinated," said Dr Abhiyan Gautam, head of the Child Health and Immunization Service Section. "This is a rapid and impressive coverage within a short period."
Govt plans to administer free HPV vaccine to 1.7 million girls
Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces have led the campaign with the highest vaccination rates. According to Dr Gautam, these two provinces have already used 50 percent of the allocated vaccines.
The government aims to vaccinate 1.688 million girls aged 10 to 14 across the country. By Thursday, 34 percent of the target group had already been vaccinated. However, coverage was relatively lower in five other provinces due to the Saraswati Puja celebrations on Tuesday and Wednesday, which affected the campaign. Normal vaccination coverage resumed in these provinces on Thursday.
The HPV vaccination campaign began on February 4 and will continue until February 18. The government launched the free vaccination program to reduce the rising number of cervical cancer-related deaths among women and to prevent the disease.
