Jan 26, Kathmandu - A vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV) targeting adolescent girls in Siraha will be conducted in two phases to protect them from cervical cancer.

According to Sunita Kandel, Vaccination Inspector of the Health Office Siraha, in the first phase, the vaccination campaign will be conducted in eight local levels from Magh 25 to Falgun 2, while in the second phase, the campaign will be conducted in the remaining nine municipalities from Falgun 4 to 10.

“Last year, about nine percent of girl students across the district missed the HPV vaccine. This time, the campaign is going to be conducted to include all of them,” said Vaccination Inspector Kandel. According to her, girls aged 11 to 14 who have dropped out of school will also be included in this campaign. The campaign targets girl students studying in grade 6, girls who have completed 10 years of school and have not turned 11, and girls from grades 7 to 10 who missed last year’s vaccination campaign.

According to Bindeshwor Chaudhary, Head of the Health Branch of Lahan Municipality, two percent of girl students were deprived of vaccination in last year’s vaccination campaign in Lahan Municipality.

To make the vaccination campaign effective, Lahan Municipality today completed a one-day orientation program for the Municipal Level Vaccination Coordination Committee. Similarly, a ward-level orientation program will be organized on Tuesday in the presence of local health volunteers, the health department has stated.