Sikkim: State will launch HPV vaccines on July 30

26 July 2018:

Speaking at a state media sensitization workshop on HPV vaccine campaign with journalists, organised by the health department in association with UNICEF, the state’s Health and Family Welfare Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Vishal Chauhan, said the department has plans to target around 30000 girls aged between 9 years and 14 years.

“It aims to protect girl child from cervical cancer. The state government has been giving various vaccines like hepatitis vaccine, measles rubella etc which was later implemented by the Government of India as national programmes,” Chauhan said.

He informed, "Our government has decided to provide HPV vaccine free of cost to girl child between aged 9-14 years and the vaccine has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India and it was done under strict monitoring of WHO and UNICEF”.

Director of Health Services, Dr Uttam Pradhan, said: “The HPV vaccine will be launched on July 30 and Sikkim will become the first state in India to cover all districts. Earlier, Punjab undertook it as a pilot project but Sikkim will be the first state to be covering all the four districts”.