West Bengal launches free HPV vaccine drive for 14-year-olds
India
West Bengal just launched a big HPV vaccination drive to help protect girls from cervical cancer.
The goal is to vaccinate around 765,000 14-year-old girls across the state: no cost, totally voluntary, and only with parental/guardian consent.
Single Gardasil-4 dose via U-WIN
Girls who have completed 14 years of age but are yet to turn 15 will get a single Gardasil-4 shot at over 880 government health centers, with pre-registration and appointment scheduling through the U-WIN digital platform, and hard-copy consent where internet is unavailable.
The vaccine is backed by the World Health Organization and top Indian experts because it guards against the main virus types causing cervical cancer, a disease that affects over 120,000 women in India every year.