Odisha awaits Centre’s nod for HPV vaccination

BHUBANESWAR: As the scheduled pilot survey to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) among women in Bhubaneswar could not be carried out due to non-cooperation of people, the Odisha government has planned to roll out quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) in the state in phases. A team of health officials had recently attended a three-day meeting called by the Ministry of Health at New Delhi to discuss the modalities and guidelines of rolling out the vaccination programme across the country.  

Though the Centre had planned to introduce the first qHPV against cervical cancer as part of the national immunisation programme by this year-end, the roll out date is yet to be announced due to delayed production by the vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII).

Amid the threat over the prevalence of cervical cancer, the state government had also made a budgetary provision of Rs 10 crore to procure the vaccine. But it had to drop the plan as two foreign vaccines currently available are too costly. Once the national immunisation programme for qHPV is launched, Odisha will introduce it in 10 aspirational districts in the first phase and extend it to the rest of the districts in the subsequent phases.

Health officials said initially the vaccine will be administered to adolescents of nine to 13 years in Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Koraput and Gajapati districts.

Public health director Dr Niranjan Mishra said the vaccines available now are priced above Rs 7,000 a dose. “We are awaiting the nod of the Ministry of Health to roll out the vaccine made by SII which is much cheaper. Hopefully, the mass vaccination programme will be launched early next year,” he said. Cervical cancer is the most common HPV-associated cancer. It is a major cause of cancer mortality in women and only cancer, which can be eliminated through proper detection and vaccination.

Even as around 12 per cent (pc) women residing in the slums of Cuttack city were detected with HPV during a community sample survey, 4.5 pc among them were detected with cervical cancer. The women in the capital city opposed the survey citing social stigma.