Tamil Nadu to become first Indian state to roll out free HPV vaccination for girls

Tamil Nadu will roll out a statewide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme by the end of January, becoming the first state in India to offer the vaccine free of cost to adolescent girls as part of a major push to prevent cervical cancer.

Announcing the initiative, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the programme would eventually cover all 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, though it will begin in four districts identified as having a higher incidence of cervical cancer — Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri.

In the first phase, around 27,000 girls in these four districts will receive the initial dose of the vaccine. Overall, about 3.38 lakh girls across the state are expected to benefit once the programme is fully implemented.

The state government has earmarked Rs 36 crore in its previous Budget for the rollout, targeting girls aged between 9 and 14 years. Subramanian said the tender process for procuring the vaccine has been completed and that formalities are in their final stages. “Once procurement is done, the programme will be launched by the end of next month,” he said.

Training sessions for doctors and nurses on administering the vaccine have already begun. The drive will initially focus on girls aged 14 years before being expanded to cover the entire 9–14 age group. Each eligible child will receive two doses of the vaccine.

The vaccination programme will start with students in government and government-aided schools. In the private market, a single dose of the HPV vaccine costs close to Rs 2,000, making the free public rollout a significant public health intervention.

Highlighting the state’s broader public health record, Subramanian said India’s HIV prevalence rate stands at 0.23 per cent, while Tamil Nadu’s rate is lower at 0.16 per cent. He noted that the state has achieved 100 per cent screening of pregnant women for HIV and syphilis to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

Tamil Nadu currently operates 2,600 Nambikkai Maiyams, or Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres, along with 81 Anti-Retroviral Therapy centres. The Minister added that strict action had been taken against unsafe practices such as so-called “blood art”, with such establishments shut down in the past, and that monitoring of needle safety and disposal continues.

He said sustained awareness campaigns are underway as the state works towards the goal of making Tamil Nadu free of HIV/AIDS by 2030.

With IANS inputs