Cervical cancer prevention: Not many takers for HPV vaccine at Chandigarh’s PGIMER
Launched in 2023 to prevent cervical cancer, India’s first indigenous human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine—Cervavac—has found only 63 takers in the 18-25 age group at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
Cervavac was developed by Serum Institute Of India (SII) in collaboration with central government’s department of biotechnology (DBT) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Sharing data, doctors at PGIMER’s gynaecological department and Advance Paediatric Centre attributed the low uptake to lack of awareness, the vaccine’s hefty price tag and the fact that the vaccine is not included in the national immunisation programme. As the vaccine is not included in the programme, its ₹1,500-2,000 cost is to be borne entirely by the taker.
Compared to this domestically cultivated vaccine, foreign manufactured vaccines cost ₹4,000-9,000.
The vaccine helps in building the fighting mechanism against certain types of HPV strains, with female aged between 9 to 25 years as the primary targeted group.
The vaccine is recommended by the India Academy of Paediatrics, and is also one of the five HPV vaccines prequalified by the World Health Organization.
HPV is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, especially during sexual activity. It can also be transmitted from mother to child during childbirth.
Dr Rashmi Bagga from the obstetrics and gynaecological department said the ideal age for receiving the vaccine was before 15, as sexual activity was nil at the time. The vaccine is administered only when the recipient has not been exposed to any HPV strain, otherwise, the vaccine remains ineffective.
“The effectiveness of Cervavac has been found equivalent to other comparator vaccines. A study conducted on 2,341 individuals indicated positive results, with no documented side effects of the vaccine reported so far,” she added.
Second most-common cancer among women in India
According to the ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, one woman dies of cervical cancer every eight minutes in India. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India after breast cancer. However, its risk can be reduced to a large extent with the use of the HPV vaccine.
Dr Sanjay Verma of PGIMER’s Advance Paediatric Centre shared that less than 1% of teen girls coming to OPD opted for the HPV vaccine.
Having expertise in paediatric infectious diseases and vaccines, Dr Verma explained that the HPV infection was mostly transmitted through sexual contact. “The body often eliminates the virus, but in some cases, the infection leads to cancer cell formation. HPV infection can lead to cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancer in females and anal and penile cancer in males, apart from genital warts in both the genders,” he added.
