India passes 80 lakh HPV doses in its push to wipe out cervical cancer

Since the National HPV Vaccination Campaign began in February 2026, more than 8 million 14-year-old girls have received a free single-dose vaccine that blocks the virus behind nearly all cervical cancers. Several states have now covered their entire identified target group, and the WHO chief publicly congratulated India for moving the world closer to a future where no woman dies of this preventable disease.