Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Interim Budget 2024-2025 in Parliament, announced that the government will encourage vaccination of girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years for the prevention of cervical cancer.
The Union Health Ministry had last month said that it is closely monitoring the cases of cervical cancer in the country and is in regular touch with states and various health departments.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, said, “I welcome the announcement by the Government of India to vaccinate girls aged 9 to 14 years to prevent cervical cancer.
"Bringing all Asha and Anganwadi workers under the ambit of health care under Ayushman Bharat, and setting up medical colleges and streamlining maternal and child health care schemes reflects the government's deep commitment to health," he said in a tweet. ''
The HPV vaccine protects against certain cancers caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, including cervical cancer.
According to some recent estimates, about 80,000 women in India get cervical cancer every year and about 35,000 women die from it.