CM launches HPV vaccination drive

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday launched a landmark pilot programme to vaccinate 14-year-old girls against the Human Papilloma Virus, marking a major step by the Tamil Nadu Government towards eliminating cervical cancer and strengthening women’s health.
The State-level launch was held at the Nandambakkam Trade Centre in Chennai.
Following this, the programme was inaugurated in Tiruvannamalai district by Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker K. Pichandi and District Collector K. Tharpbagaraj at Kattampundi Government Higher Secondary School.
Cervical cancer accounts for 14 per cent of cancers among women in Tamil Nadu, making it the second most common after breast cancer.
Medical studies have established that HPV vaccination can prevent up to 99.7 per cent of cervical cancer cases.
In view of this, the State Government announced the phased introduction of HPV vaccination for all 14-year-old girls in the 2025–26 Budget, allocating Rs. 36 crore for the programme.
The initiative aims to vaccinate 3,38,649 girls across the State with a single 0.5 ml intramuscular dose of the Gardasil vaccine.
Based on data from the Tamil Nadu Cancer Registry Project, the pilot has been launched in four high-incidence districts — Dharmapuri, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai and Ariyalur. In Tiruvannamalai alone, 12,916 girls studying in 347 government and government-aided schools are covered.
The district administration has urged parents, schools and community leaders to cooperate fully to ensure complete vaccination coverage and safeguard the future health of young
girls.