The nationwide campaign against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is likely to be launched in the third quarter of the next year as the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI) has agreed to provide the vaccine doses, an official at the Ministry of Health and Population said.

Once the campaign is completed, the HPV vaccine will be included in the government’s routine immunisation programme, officials said.

“We are informed that GAVI’s meeting has accepted our request for the HPV vaccine,” an official at the Health Ministry said, asking not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media. “We are told that we will be informed officially about the decision soon.”

Human papillomavirus is a viral infection that spreads through skin contact. The virus causes cervical cancer, which is the second-most common cancer in the developing world and a major cause of death among Nepali women. It is estimated that hundreds of women get diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in Nepal.

According to the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur, more than 700 women suffering from cervical cancer seek treatment at the hospital every year.

Experts say early treatment prevents up to 80 percent of cervical cancer.

HPV vaccination was also mentioned in the government’s policies and programmes for the fiscal year 2023-2024.

Doctors say most cervical cancers are associated with the HPV, a sexually transmitted infection. Widespread immunisation could reduce the impact of cervical cancer and other cancers caused by the HPV worldwide.

Countries like Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives have introduced HPV vaccines nationally while India and Indonesia have introduced them in some districts.

In 2016, Nepal piloted HPV vaccines in Chitwan and Kaski districts. All girls aged between 11 and 13 years were given two doses of the vaccine during the pilot programme.

At the time, Nepal purchased 20,000 doses of the HPV vaccine, which were administered to around 9,000 girls aged between 14 and 15 years from all seven provinces. Health authorities administered the vaccines at schools after other measures failed to increase vaccine uptake.

Nepal had submitted a proposal to GAVI on July 18 requesting it for

the HPV doses for free so that the vaccine could be included on the regular immunisation list.

Health Ministry officials said that around 1.7 million girls between 10 and 14 will be administered the HPV vaccines in the nationwide drive.

Each girl between 11 and 13 needs to be administered two doses of the vaccine over a period of six months.

“We will launch the nationwide drive against the HPV once we get the required vaccine doses,” said Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, director of the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services.

The World Health Organisation says HPV vaccination is recommended as part of a coordinated strategy to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases caused by the virus.