In a historic public health campaign, India has launched a massive initiative to eliminate cervical cancer by training thousands of doctors to advocate for the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine.

India bears a significant burden of cervical cancer, accounting for 20% of the global caseload. Most of these cases are caused by HPV, a virus preventable through vaccination.

Though the HPV vaccine has been available privately in India since 2008, uptake has remained low due to misinformation, high costs, and hesitancy stemming from unrelated deaths during past vaccine trials.

Now, a renewed national effort—partially funded by Cancer Research UK—seeks to change that. A domestically produced, low-cost HPV vaccine is anticipated to roll out nationwide soon.

Doctor Training and Outreach Strategy

Last year, over 11,000 doctors from the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) underwent virtual training. From this group, 100 specialists have been selected to train 500 general physicians each.

The outreach includes:

• Workshops and online modules for physicians
• Community engagement in regional languages
• Combating vaccine myths and misinformation
• Integrating HPV vaccine awareness into routine gynecological care

Impact of COVID-19 on Vaccine Awareness

The COVID-19 pandemic normalized conversations about vaccines even in rural India. Health officials are leveraging this change in attitude to introduce HPV vaccine advocacy at the grassroots level.

Why This Matters

A woman in India dies every eight minutes from cervical cancer. Vaccination against HPV could prevent the majority of these deaths. This campaign aims to ensure equitable vaccine access and eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue within the next decade.

Sources / Scientific References:

• World Health Organization – HPV and Cervical Cancer
• Cancer Research UK – India HPV Vaccine Initiative
• Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI)
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Reports 2024–25
• The Lancet: “HPV Vaccination Uptake in LMICs”