Kathmandu, Feb 19: Around 92 percent of adolescent girls between 10 to 14 years of age have received the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer during the government-led vaccination campaign.
According to Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Immunization Section at the Department of Health Services, the campaign, which began on February 5, concluded on Tuesday.
Approximately 1,428,889 girls were vaccinated during the campaign, against a target of 1,688,786. Dr Gautam mentioned that girls who missed the vaccine during the campaign would still be able to get vaccinated at health institutions. He added, “We have reached out to specific communities where girls were left out. For instance, in the Madhesh region, we vaccinated a community of 150 girls who had missed out. We are actively searching and vaccinating in communities as needed.”
The campaign did not commence in Manang, Mustang, Humla, and Dolpa districts due to schools being closed with freezing cold, Dr Gautam said. The vaccination campaign in these districts will start in the third week of February once schools reopen.
The government launched the campaign to protect girls from cervical cancer, targeting grades 6 to 10 students and out-of-school girls aged 10 to 14 years.
In Nepal, an estimated four women die every day due to cervical cancer, highlighting the importance of this vaccination drive. #nepal #vaccination #cancer
