Pune: The state health dept has received the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines, but is awaiting the Centre’s guidelines to start the inoculation drive.HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer.Additional director of state health services Dr Digambar Kangule said, “We received over 9.5 lakh doses at our state vaccine storage facility in Nov 2025. The staff has been trained to vaccinate the recipients. However, the drive cannot start without the guidelines. The single-dose vaccine will be given to girls above 14 years, but under 15. The expiry for the vaccines ranges from Nov 2027 to Jan 2028.”In the 2024-25 budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed vaccination for the first time to prevent cervical cancer, which is the largest contributor of cancer-related deaths among women. However, the vaccine is yet to be incorporated into the routine immunisation programme.
