KATHMANDU, Jan 22: The government has focused on safeguarding girls and women against cervical cancer, with the available data showing that it is one of the most common diseases affecting women. The government has decided to conduct a vaccination campaign against cervical cancer at schools.
In order to prevent cervical cancer in girls, the government has set up vaccination centers with health workers at schools to conduct an HPV vaccination campaign focused on female students.
The government has launched the campaign to protect 1,688,768 out-of-school girls, aged 10 to 14 years and studying in grades 6 to 10, from cervical cancer by administering the HPV vaccine directly at schools.
According to the Family Welfare Division (FWD) of the Department of Health Services, the government has decided to conduct a national vaccination campaign by establishing vaccination centers at 18,800 schools, and all female students of private and public schools have been included in the campaign.
Dr Sarita Ghimire, an expert, said that the HPV vaccination campaign will be conducted under the leadership of the FWD, Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal, from February 4 to 18. The campaign targets adolescent girls aged 10 to 14, both in schools (grades 6 to 10) and out-of-school girls.
Nepal: Cervical cancer cases on the rise due to lack of awarene...
In a program organized by the FWD in collaboration with the Education Journalist Network Nepal (EJON), Dr Ghimire said that the ministry has introduced a policy to focus on schools this time for a vaccination campaign aimed at preventing cervical cancer in Nepali girls.
“According to GLOBOCAN data, one in every four women have a risk of cancer. In urban areas, breast cancer is more prevalent. The HPV virus, after entering the cervix, is only detected 20 years later when cancer has developed,” she warned “Cancer can affect any organ, age group, or class. Even after treatment, it can recur.” She further said “Prevention is the best solution. Schools and children are an effective medium for information dissemination. Therefore, the government has initiated a free vaccination campaign by setting up vaccination centers in schools, focusing on female students.”
HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus, which is a type of virus. It is the leading cause of cervical cancer. There are over 200 different strains of HPV, and at least 12 of them are considered major causes of cervical cancer. Among these, 16 and 18 of these types are the most significant contributors.
As it has been observed that 80 percent of cervical cancers are caused by 16 and 18 types in Nepal, the government has focused the HPV vaccination campaign in schools to protect girls aged 10 to 14 years before they are exposed to the disease, as stated by Dr Abhiyan Gautam, chief of the Child Health and Immunization Service Section at the FWD.
The statistics of cervical cancer in the world estimated that 570,000 women suffer from it every year and it will reach 700,000 by the year 2030. The statistics show that 311,000 women die every year and the number is estimated to reach 400,000 by the year 2030. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women. About 88 percent of cervical cancer cases and deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Dr Gautam said that looking at the situation in Nepal, every year 2,169 women in Nepal are expected to get cervical cancer. According to the report, about 1,313 women die annually from cervical cancer in Nepal. Based on this, it is estimated that an average of 4 women die from cervical cancer every day.
Dr Gautam said, “Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women and the first leading cause of death in women.” He said that all girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years must compulsorily receive the HPV vaccine at school vaccination centers to prevent the possibility of the HPV infection and cervical cancer.
Similarly, she said that when other women regularly undergo cervical cancer screenings, the disease can be detected, and it can be cured at an early stage with treatment.
In terms of the initial screening for cancer, statistics show that in Nepal, at least 11 percent of women undergo cervical cancer screening daily, and 7 percent of these tests show positive results for potential cancer. However, despite the recommendation that all women aged 30 to 49 should be prioritized for screening, only about 1 in 10 women in Nepal are actually undergoing the screening.
Director of FWD, Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, has urged girls of the target age group to be vaccinated as the HPV vaccine has been certified as safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). “The HPV vaccine is extremely safe. The government has a policy to vaccinate all girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years,” Dr Lal said, “Only the vaccines certified by the WHO are purchased and supplied in Nepal. Since the Department of Drug Administration has also granted permission for the use of this vaccine, parents should feel assured and have their daughters vaccinated.”
After receiving the vaccine, some individuals may experience common side effects such as pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site, fever, headache, body aches, chills, fatigue, or nausea. However, these symptoms usually resolve on their own after a short period, and there is no need to worry. According to them, the government is preparing school teachers, students, and parents mentally to ensure the success of the vaccination campaign.
He said that the government’s target is to administer the cervical cancer vaccine to 90 percent of girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years, and to conduct cervical cancer screening for 90 percent of women in the age group of 30 to 49 years. Similarly, the government aims to provide treatment to 90 percent of women diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Similarly, HPV vaccination service in Nepal was conducted nine years ago in Chitwan and Kaski districts. At that time, vaccination centers were operated in every school for 6th grade girls and 10-year-old out-of-school girls. Two doses of the vaccine were given within a 6-month interval. In order to reach the villages and marginalized communities without schools, the government has a strategy to arrange for HPV vaccination from additional vaccination centers during the month of the campaign and also to provide the vaccine to missed students on the last day of the campaign at health institutions free of charge. According to the latest study, the HPV vaccine, when administered once a year, is sufficient and has been proven to be 100 percent effective. Therefore, the routine vaccination strategy will be implemented starting from the fiscal year 2025/26.
