Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has received an additional 1,90,890 doses of the HPV vaccine from the Centre, boosting its ongoing immunisation drive aimed at protecting adolescent girls from cervical cancer. State health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced the development in a statement on Monday.
The Centre had earlier supplied 1,90,800 doses in the first phase last month for girls aged 14–15 years. With the latest consignment, the total number of doses received by the state has risen to 3,81,780.
Officials have been directed to distribute the vaccines across districts based on the eligible population. The vaccination campaign is set to continue uninterrupted until May, with faster coverage expected following the completion of Class 10 public examinations.
According to official data, the state has identified around 3.45 lakh girls aged between 14 and 15 years through village and ward secretariat records. As of Monday afternoon, 1,14,512 girls — accounting for 33.19 per cent — have been vaccinated. District-wise, the highest coverage has been reported in Kurnool (6,785), Nellore (6,726), YSR (6,725), and Anantapur (6,655). Lower coverage was recorded in Polavaram (669), Alluri Sitarama Raju (1,063), Sri Sathya Sai (2,769), and Anakapalli (2,959).
Vaccination is being carried out at 1,645 identified Primary Health Centres and Urban Health Centres equipped with cold chain facilities.
As a precaution, beneficiaries are being observed for 30 minutes after vaccination. Officials confirmed that no adverse reactions have been reported so far.
The minister noted that Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront in implementing the Centre’s guidelines for HPV immunisation. The vaccine, which is administered in two doses, plays a crucial role in preventing cervical cancer and is considered both safe and effective. Additionally, 500 doses from the initial batch have been allocated to Yanam as per central instructions.
