2 min readFeb 27, 2026 06:15 AM IST First published on: Feb 27, 2026 at 06:15 AM ISTOne woman dies of cervical cancer every eight minutes in India. The country accounts for about a fifth of the global burden of the disease, close to 90 per cent of which is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Early screening and vaccination can prevent this cancer. However, lack of awareness and the relatively high price of the shots have come in the way of checking the disease. That’s why the government’s inoculation drive, to commence in about a month, could be a game-changer. A single dose of Gardasil-4, manufactured by Merck & Co, will be administered to 14-year-olds. In private clinics, the vaccine is given in two or three doses. However, the government’s approach aligns with the WHO’s 2022 findings, which underscore that a single dose, administered between the ages of 9 and 14, provides protection comparable to that provided by multi-dose regimens. It’s also in consonance with the global health agency’s cervical cancer elimination strategy.Eligible women will need to book a slot at government health centres using the U-win portal. The government intends to ensure the vaccines reach 1.15 crore young women who turn 14 every year in the country. It’s too early to link this drive with herd immunity. However, studies in Sweden, the UK and Australia are instructive. They show that a high vaccine coverage reduces the chance of cancerous lesions and other symptoms among the unvaccinated.AdvertisementGovernment-sponsored HPV vaccination drives are underway in several states in the country. School-based cervical cancer vaccination projects in Sikkim and Punjab’s high-burden districts have achieved significant coverage. Such initiatives have also taken off in Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In contrast, Delhi’s programme, which required parents to bring children to a hospital, did not acquire much traction. In the coming months, the Centre should draw the right lessons from the successes and failures of these schemes. The record of centrally sponsored immunisation programmes, whether they be against Covid, polio or other ongoing projects, also testifies to the key role of awareness campaigns. The elimination of cervical cancer in India will hinge not just on the supply of vaccines; the efficacy of information drives will be as critical.