Lucknow: While Uttar Pradesh has crossed the four-lakh mark in its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, the early gains have been driven largely by smaller districts, with several of the state’s major urban centres lagging in the rollout.Ambedkar Nagar has emerged as the top-performing district with 18,499 girls vaccinated, followed by Bareilly (15,075), Hathras (14,337), Siddharthnagar (13,741) and Sultanpur (13,564).In contrast, major urban districts have reported relatively modest numbers. Lucknow has vaccinated 5,848 girls, followed by Prayagraj (5,234), Ghaziabad (4,946), Moradabad (4,823) and Varanasi (4,022). Kanpur Nagar has covered 3,385 beneficiaries, while Gorakhpur (2,089), Jhansi (1,751) and Gautam Budh Nagar (1,638) remain well behind the campaign leaders.The campaign, launched in March this year, targets girls aged 14-15 years to protect them against cervical cancer. So far, more than four lakh girls have received the vaccine against a target of 24 lakh eligible beneficiaries.General manager, routine immunisation, National Health Mission, Dr Manoj Shukla said that HPV vaccine was being provided free of cost at district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres and health sub-centres.“India accounts for nearly one-fourth of the global cervical cancer burden. It is the second most common cancer among Indian women. This makes HPV vaccination a critical preventive public health measure. The effort can prove to be a gamechanger,” he said.State immunisation officer Dr Ajay Gupta said that the govt aims to cover all the 24 lakh eligible girls across the state. “Districts reporting lower coverage are being monitored closely, with regular reviews, field visits and better coordination between the health and education departments to accelerate the campaign,” he said.Community-level awareness campaigns are also being intensified to address misconceptions about the vaccine and improve uptake.Officials said that the campaign’s next challenge would be to improve coverage in larger urban districts while sustaining the momentum achieved in smaller districts.“Parents should ensure timely vaccination and not be influenced by misconceptions,” additional chief secretary (medical and health) Amit Kumar Ghosh said.
