In a major boost to women’s healthcare in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday officially launched a massive, statewide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign. The initiative is designed to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer, aiming to inoculate approximately 7.65 lakh beneficiaries aged 14 across West Bengal.
The rollout follows the national launch of the HPV vaccination programme earlier this year and represents a critical stride toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat.
Under this comprehensive health campaign, girls who have completed 14 years of age but have not yet turned 15 will receive a single dose of the quadrivalent Gardasil-4 vaccine. To ensure maximum reach and remove financial barriers for families, the state government is providing the vaccine completely free of cost at designated government facilities.
To facilitate the seamless rollout of the campaign, vaccination sessions are being systematically conducted at 881 designated government health facilities across West Bengal. These include State Medical College,District Hospitals,Sub-divisional Hospitals State General Hospitals and Block Primary Health Centres (BPHCs).
Health officials emphasized that cervical cancer is highly preventable, and timely vaccination offers a near-total shield against the cancer-causing virus strains. Parents and guardians of eligible girls are being urged to visit their nearest designated health centre to benefit from this life-saving preventive healthcare initiative.
Photo Courtesy: Prabal Mukherjee
Written By: Pragna Biswas
Graphics by: Pramit Hazra
