To tackle deadly cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer among womenfolk after breast cancer, the Punjab Health and Family Welfare Department is all set to roll out an ambitious plan — Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination Programme.
Globally, every year, estimated 2.50 lakh women die of cancer, with India being the fourth largest contributor to these deaths with estimated 67,000 deaths per year and accounts for one death in every eight minutes.
“Although the trends of incidence of cancer in Punjab are similar to the national level, the districts of Bathinda and Mansa have higher incidence of cervical cancer as compared to the rest of the district in the state,” said the state Principal Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Vini Mahajan on Friday.
She said that for the same reason, the HPV vaccination programme will be launched in Bathinda and Mansa districts under the first phase by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal from Mother and Child Hospital at Bathinda on November 23.
She said that the vaccine for the purpose is being procured by Punjab government through UNICEF. “Approximately, 10,000 girls are expected in government schools of these two districts in phase-I of vaccination,” he said.
Mahajan said that Punjab is the first state in India to include HPV vaccine in its routine immunization schedule. “The decision to immunize girls with HPV vaccine followed the recommendation made by Technical Group of Experts (TEG) and Punjab to vaccinate school going girls studying in class VI with two doses of vaccine with a gap of six months,” she said.
The vaccination will be given in the community health centres or sub-divisional hospitals and district hospitals under supervision of medical officers in the two districts, she said.
Subsequently, Punjab plans to cover all school girls in government and private schools studying in class VI and also the out of school girls in age range of 11-12 years, she said.
Mahajan revealed that district-wise ARR for cancer of cervix as reported by Development of an Atlas of Cancer in Punjab State by National Centre For Disease Informatics and Research, National Cancer Registry Program, ICMR, New Delhi, in reference to years 2012–2013, is Bathinda (17.5), Mansa (17.3), Faridkot (14.6), Muktsar (12.7), Mohali (12), Sangrur (11.1), Moga (10.2), Fatehgarh Sahib (10), Amritsar (9.7), ludhiana (9.4), Jalandhar (9.1), Roopnagar (8.1), Kapurthala (8), and Hoshiarpur (7.3).