- Why in news
- On 17 March 2026, the Health Ministry told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the free HPV vaccination campaign began on 28 February 2026. It targets about 1.2 crore girls aged 14 in all 36 States and UTs.
- What it is
- India's national HPV vaccination campaign gives a free single dose of the Gardasil Quadrivalent vaccine to adolescent girls at government health facilities. It sits alongside VIA-based cervical cancer screening under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD). Together they follow WHO's global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.
- Launch date
- The nationwide campaign was launched on 28 February 2026 and runs for three months.
- Target group
- About 1.2 crore girls aged 14 years in all 36 States and UTs.
- Vaccine and dose
- A single dose of Gardasil-4 is given free at government facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals and GMCs.
- After the campaign
- Once the three-month campaign ends, the vaccine stays available on routine immunization days.
- Target group and size
- The campaign targets 12 million girls aged 14 years. It was inaugurated on 28 February.
- Vaccine and schedule
- A single dose of Gardasil Quadrivalent over 90 days, free at designated government facilities, in line with WHO and NTAGI recommendations.
- Voluntary participation
- The programme is voluntary and rests on parental consent.
- Digital tracking
- U-WIN records each vaccination event. eVIN tracks vaccine stocks and cold-chain logistics.
- WHO 90-70-90 targets for 2030
- 90% of girls vaccinated against HPV, 70% of women screened, and 90% of women with cervical disease treated.
- Digital platforms
- U-WIN handles session planning, registration, consent and reporting; e-VIN manages vaccine stocks and logistics.
- Campaign mode
- A 90-day campaign, after which the vaccine moves to routine immunization session days. Voluntary, free, with parental consent.
- Expert recommendation
- The vaccination is recommended by WHO and India's NTAGI.
- Vaccine used
- Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine covering HPV types 16, 18, 6 and 11.
- Where given
- Free of cost at designated government facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, CHCs, district hospitals and medical colleges.
- Procurement
- Supply secured through a procurement mechanism in partnership with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
Don’t confuse with HPV vaccination vs VIA screening: The vaccine prevents HPV infection in adolescent girls. VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) is a screening test that detects precancerous changes in women.
Don’t confuse with U-WIN vs eVIN: U-WIN is the digital platform recording each vaccination event. eVIN tracks vaccine stocks and cold-chain logistics.
Don’t confuse with VIA vs HPV vaccination: VIA is a screening test for women aged 30-65 and detects disease early. HPV vaccination is primary prevention for adolescent girls.
Don’t confuse with U-WIN vs e-VIN: U-WIN is the digital platform for beneficiary registration, sessions, consent and records. e-VIN tracks vaccine stocks and cold chain logistics.
Don’t confuse with Gardasil-4 vs Gardasil-9 vs Cervavac: Gardasil-4 covers types 6, 11, 16, 18. Gardasil-9 covers nine types. Cervavac is an Indian-made quadrivalent vaccine. The campaign uses Gardasil-4.
Don’t confuse with NTAGI vs SAGE: NTAGI is India's national expert group advising the Health Ministry on immunization; SAGE is WHO's global advisory group.
Don’t confuse with HPV types 16/18 vs 6/11: Types 16 and 18 cause most cervical cancers; types 6 and 11 mainly cause genital warts.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Cervical cancer is largely preventable, so vaccination plus screening can cut cases and deaths among women.
- Free delivery through public facilities, including rural areas, improves equity of access.
- Cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths among Indian women. Vaccination plus screening can cut this burden over time.
- A free, single-dose drive supports India's alignment with WHO's global elimination goals.
- Prevents a leading cancer in women, with about 1.2 crore girls in each yearly cohort.
- A single dose lowers cost and logistics burden, which helps reach and coverage.
- Advances India's contribution to the WHO goal of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem.
- Cervical cancer is largely preventable; vaccination before exposure cuts future cases and deaths.
- Single-dose schedule lowers cost and eases delivery, helping equity in women's health.
Problems
- Parental consent and vaccine hesitancy or misinformation can lower uptake.
- Reaching girls outside school and in underserved areas, and tracking them for follow-up, is hard.
- Voluntary, consent-based uptake needs trust-building to counter vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
- Screening coverage and follow-up treatment for those who test positive must keep pace with vaccination.
- Parental consent and misinformation or hesitancy about a vaccine for adolescents may limit uptake.
- Reaching out-of-school girls and remote areas within a 90-day window is hard.
- Vaccination alone is not enough; screening and treatment capacity for older women remains uneven.
- Vaccine hesitancy and misinformation about safety among parents.
- Reaching out-of-school girls and remote areas with cold-chain and tracking.
Way forward
- Run awareness drives with schools, ASHAs and community leaders to build trust.
- Link vaccination with screening and treatment so prevention covers all age groups.
- Use frontline health workers and U-WIN for outreach, tracking and follow-up of beneficiaries.
- Link vaccination, screening and treatment so that all three WHO 90-70-90 targets are pursued together.
- Run awareness drives through schools, ASHAs and Anganwadis to counter hesitancy.
- Use U-WIN data to track coverage and adverse events, and follow up missed girls in routine sessions.
- Link vaccination with screening and treatment under the NP-NCD for a full elimination strategy.
- Run awareness drives with schools, ASHAs and community leaders, and monitor adverse events openly.
- Pair vaccination with expanded cervical cancer screening and treatment under NP-NCD.
Put in your answer
Campaign coverage: Target of about 1.2 crore girls aged 14 across 36 States/UTs with a single dose.
Safety system: Vaccination sites are linked to 24x7 AEFI Management Centres for prompt handling of adverse events.
Cervical cancer burden in India: WHO's chief cited over 80,000 deaths and about 42,000 new cases annually in India.
Screening reach: Over 86 million women screened under NP-NCD shows scale of population-based screening.
Herd effect: High coverage reduces circulation of HPV strains, giving indirect protection to the unvaccinated.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.Under India's national HPV vaccination campaign, girls aged 14 years receive a single dose of the quadrivalent Gardasil-4 vaccine.
- 2.The U-WIN portal manages vaccine stocks and logistics in the campaign, while e-VIN is used for registration and recording of consent.
- 3.In the campaign phase, the vaccine is given only at government health facilities, free of cost and only after parental or guardian consent.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 12
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.Gardasil-4 protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
True. Quadrivalent: types 6, 11, 16, 18.
2.The U-WIN portal manages vaccine stocks and logistics under the campaign.
False. e-VIN manages stocks and logistics; U-WIN handles registration, consent and reporting.
3.Vaccination is free and voluntary, and needs parental or guardian consent.
True. Voluntary, free, given only after parental/guardian consent.
4.The vaccine is offered at both government and private health facilities in the campaign.
False. Session sites are only government health facilities.
5.Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types, particularly 16 and 18, is the primary cause of cervical cancer.
True. HPV types 16 and 18 are the main high-risk causes.
6.Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in India.
False. It is the second most common cancer among women in India.
7.The vaccine used in the national programme protects only against HPV types 16 and 18.
False. Gardasil is quadrivalent: types 16, 18, 6 and 11.
8.India has secured HPV vaccine supply through a procurement mechanism in partnership with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
True. Procurement is in partnership with GAVI.
9.The programme is built on a two-dose schedule recommended by WHO.
False. It uses a single-dose schedule, which WHO SAGE found comparable to two doses.
10.Vaccination under the programme is voluntary and requires informed consent from parents or guardians.
True. Voluntary, with parental/guardian informed consent.
11.Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in India according to GLOBOCAN 2022 data cited by the Ministry.
False. It is the second most common cancer among women in India.
12.The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization is an advisory body of the World Health Organization.
True. SAGE advises WHO on immunization policy.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
India has launched a nationwide single-dose HPV vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls as part of its effort to eliminate cervical cancer. Examine the significance of this initiative for women's health in India and discuss the challenges in achieving its goals. Suggest a way forward.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.