Mohali:– A free HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccination drive will be organised at Shelby Hospital, Mohali on March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The initiative aims to protect young girls from cervical cancer, a preventable disease that kills around 90,000 Indian women every year.
Dr Ashwini Kumar Sachdeva, Onco Surgeon, Shelby Hospital Mohali, said that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, with around 1,27,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths every year, which is one-fifth of the global burden. He said that the figures are particularly alarming as a woman dies of cervical cancer in India every 8 minutes and one-third of all global cancer cases are reported in India.
Consultant Gynecology Dr. Arvinder Kaur Heer said that recent studies show that a single-dose HPV vaccination program can reduce the risk of HPV 16 and HPV 18 infection by about 90 percent in the vaccinated group and reduce the overall prevalence of high-risk HPV infections by 49 percent after 20 years. The HPV vaccine is most effective when given before potential exposure to the virus.
Consultant Gynecology Balbir Kaur Ghai said that the World Health Organization recommends vaccinating girls aged 9-14 years as the primary target group for maximum protection.
You can call the hospital number 8725040400 for vaccination registration.