Pune: BJ Medical College and Sassoon Hospital Launch HPV Vaccination Drive for Female Students | Anand Chaini
BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) has launched a vaccination drive starting Tuesday against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) — the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract — for its female students up to 26 years of age.
Dean Dr Eknath Pawar said, “The BJMC will be the first government medical college in Maharashtra to conduct such an immunisation drive, and a total of 1,000 students, including MBBS, nursing and postgraduate up to the age of 26 years, will be vaccinated. The vaccine will be administered in three doses—0.5 ml at 0, two and six months. All three doses will be given within one year.”
The vaccine has been procured at a subsidised cost and will be provided free of cost to students. Initially, 1,000 female students will be immunised. A total of 3,000 doses will be procured from Serum Institute of India, said the official. The HPV vaccine is used for the prevention of HPV-associated cancers such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancers, as well as genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11. The vaccine works by helping the immune system develop protection against HPV before one is exposed to the virus. However, the immunisation is voluntary and will be provided for free.
HPV and further issues
The HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract, causing a range of conditions in men and women, such as genital warts, anal cancer, vaginal cancer, penile cancer, vulval cancer, oro-pharyngeal cancer and cervical cancer, including precancerous lesions that may progress into cancer. HPV is a major cause of cervical cancer, with 14 HPV types identified as oncogenic. Among these, HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for most HPV-related cancers. Every year, about 1.23 lakh new cases and 77,300 deaths due to cancer are reported in the country.
