Maharashtra to vaccinate 9.84 lakh girls aged 14 as part of nationwide HPV vaccination campaign

The Maharashtra Government is set to vaccinate 9.84 lakh girls aged 14 in the State by administering one dose of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a three-month drive against cervical cancer, starting from Saturday (February 28, 2026), as a part of the national HPV immunisation programme. 

The Maharashtra health department has procured 9,47,380 doses of HPV vaccine ‘Gardasil-4’ from the Central Government. The beneficiary girls will be given one dose (0.5 ml) of the vaccine on the left forearm, and after the vaccination, the nail of their left little finger will be marked with a marker pen.

After the national launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ajmer, Rajasthan, the state will launch its campaign on Saturday by giving doses to five girls aged 14 at Nair Hospital in Mumbai. 

Voluntary

According to the health department, the vaccination is voluntary and parental consent is required for it. “The objective of this vaccination is to prevent cervical cancer in the future by vaccinating girls who have completed 14 years of age but have not completed 15 years of age against HPV,” said the official from the State Health Department. 

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The Department aims to vaccinate 9,84,414 girls in the state, who have completed 14 years but not completed 15 years of age. “Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus and is the only cancer that can be prevented by vaccination. Therefore, to prevent this cancer from occurring in the future, a nationwide ‘HPV vaccination campaign’ to administer the HPV vaccine is set to launch,” the state health department stated. 

Registration of all beneficiaries for HPV vaccination and distribution of certificates will be done completely digitally through the Central Government’s ‘U-WIN’ portal.

“After HPV vaccination, fever, headache or swelling at the injection site may occur, which resolves within 2-3 days. Medical facilities for immediate treatment will be available at each centre. However, girls with serious illnesses, those who are allergic to yeast or who are pregnant will not be given this vaccine,” stated the Health Department.