PM Oli Launches Nationwide HPV Vaccination Campaign

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today inaugurated a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign aimed at preventing cervical cancer.

The Prime Minister marked the launch by visiting Shivapuri Higher Secondary School in Baluwatar, where he handed vaccination materials to health workers from Kathmandu Metropolis-3. The campaign, which will run until February 18, targets girls from grades six to ten, while out-of-school girls aged 10 to 14 will also have access to the vaccine.

The Department of Health Services has set a target of vaccinating 1,688,900 girls against HPV, a virus responsible for cervical cancer. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Nepal, causing an average of four deaths daily. The disease is primarily caused by persistent HPV infection.