Parents should ensure that every girl child in the age group of 14 to 15 years is vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus to protect them from diseases like cervical cancer, said Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar. He said special vaccination camps would be organised in the district on May 24 and 31 as part of the HPV vaccination drive. He added that girls who had completed 14 years of age but were under 15 years old would receive the vaccination to protect them against cervical cancer.
Appealing to the people in the district, the DC said this was a valuable opportunity to safeguard daughters from a serious disease like cervical cancer. He noted that cervical cancer was the second most common cancer among women in India, with approximately 1.2 to 1.3 lakh new cases reported annually. The HPV vaccine would prove instrumental in providing girls with lifelong protection against cervical cancer.
Kumar said that in the district, out of 2,735 eligible girls, 1,020 had already received the vaccination. He stated that, so far, 239 girls in the Markand area, 307 in Ghumarwin, 317 in Jhanduta and 157 in the Shri Naina Devi Ji area were vaccinated.
