HPV vaccination to girl students of Class XI and XII in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram : To eliminate cervical cancer in Kerala, HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination would be administered to girl students of Class XI and XII Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Monday said.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the minister, final decision on sourcing the vaccine will be made at the technical committee meeting in a week's time.

The third most cancer-affected part in females in Kerala is, the cervix uteri after the breast and thyroid. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in a research  found that 7.9 per cent of female patients in Kerala have cervical cancer. The most affected site is the breast (73.35 per cent) and then the thyroid (24.9 per cent).
Like the malignancy of the liver, cervical cancer, can be prevented by vaccination. It is primarily caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and vaccination against HPV significantly reduces the risk.
 When administered between the ages of nine and 14,The HPV vaccination is most effective.  Doctors say that this could be taken till females reach 26 years.

Earlier this year  government  launched a screening campaign for  women above 30 years for cervical and breast cancer, under which over 17 lakh women have been screened. Proposal for vaccination of school girls is the next step in the process to reduce cancer incidences in Kerala.

Along with this, in the  high-level meeting it was also decided to launch a massive awareness drive in the run-up to the HPV vaccination drive,.where students, teachers and parents will be  part of the drive.