Over 14,000 girls to receive HPV vaccine in Tanahun

By Amar Raj Naharki,Tanahun, Jan. 24: More than 14,000 girls in Tanahun district are set to receive the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. 

According to the Provincial Health Office, Tanahun, the vaccination will be carried out in two phases.

In the first phase, from February 4-7, the vaccine will be administered in five local levels, including Vyas Municipality, Bhanu Municipality, Devghat Rural Municipality, Abukhaireni Rural Municipality and Bandipur Rural Municipality, covering 44 wards. 

In the second phase, from February 9-12, the vaccination will be held at five local levels: Shuklagandaki Municipality, Bhimad Municipality, Myagde Rural Municipality, Rishing Rural Municipality and Ghiring Rural Municipality, covering 41 wards.

The vaccination will target girls aged between 10  and 14 years both those attending school (from grades 6 to 10) and those not enrolled in schools. 

A total of 259 basic and secondary schools have been designated as vaccination centres, as informed by Shankar Babu Adhikari, Chief of the Provincial Public Health Office, Tanahun.

According to Adhikari, 259 health workers and 518 female community health volunteers will be mobilised for the campaign. 

The target is to vaccinate 14,278 girls within this age group across the district. Among them, 14,078 are school-going girls while 206 are not enrolled in school.

Vyas Municipality has the highest number of school-going girls in this age group, with 3,845 while Ghiring Rural Municipality has the lowest at 580. 

Among non-school-going girls, Shuklagandaki Municipality has the highest number, with 115, followed by Bandipur Rural Municipality with 36. 

Bhanu Municipality, Myagde Rural Municipality and Ghiring Rural Municipality reported no non-school-going girls in this age group.

Every year, 2,169 women in Nepal are diagnosed with cervical cancer, with 1,313 deaths resulting from the disease. 

Four women die from cervical cancer every day in the country, prompting the government to introduce the HPV vaccine policy for girls aged between 10 and 14 years to prevent the disease.