India's HPV vaccine rollout sees low uptake despite single-dose efficacy

A clinical trial involving more than 20,000 girls in Costa Rica, led by researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that a single dose of the HPV vaccine provides 97% protection against the virus strains that cause most cervical cancers. The results support India's recently launched free, single‑dose national HPV vaccination programme, which aims to curb the country's high cervical‑cancer burden.

In Tamil Nadu's Tiruchy district, however, only about 2,000 girls have received the free vaccine in the first six months of the rollout, despite more than 100,000 eligible adolescents and ample vaccine stocks at primary health centres. Officials attribute the shortfall to the programme's reliance on voluntary parental consent, contrasting with an earlier school‑based pilot that achieved near‑complete coverage.

Health experts say the single‑dose schedule, administered shortly after girls turn 14, offers optimal protection and could expand coverage if uptake barriers are addressed.