Ahmedabad, May 6 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) will conduct a city-wide mega vaccination drive on May 7 as part of its ongoing HPV immunisation programme aimed at preventing cervical cancer among adolescent girls.

The drive will offer free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to girls aged 14 to 15 years at all Urban Health Centres and municipal corporation hospitals.

Eligible beneficiaries will be able to receive the vaccine without any cost during the campaign, which forms part of a broader preventive health initiative being implemented across the city.

AMC officials said the civic body is targeting the vaccination of 48,561 adolescent girls under the programme.

So far, 22,137 girls have already been vaccinated.

Earlier phases of the initiative included two mega drives in which 1,933 girls were vaccinated on April 24, and 2,872 girls received the vaccine on April 30.

The corporation has highlighted that the HPV vaccine, which is available in private healthcare facilities at an estimated cost of around Rs 3,000 along with consultation charges, is being administered free of cost under the civic programme to ensure wider access.

Launched in February this year, the campaign has combined vaccination with sustained awareness activities across Ahmedabad.

These include publicity through hoardings, banners, standees, radio jingles, and social media outreach.

The AMC has also shared informational content and interviews with vaccinated girls to encourage participation and address awareness gaps regarding cervical cancer prevention.

According to official data, the wider state-level HPV vaccination programme in Gujarat has set a target of covering 5,62,324 adolescent girls.

Of these, 5,06,100 girls have already been vaccinated, as per figures shared under the ongoing campaign.

The AMC has also engaged local representatives, social leaders, and schools, both government and private, to support awareness efforts and improve outreach among eligible adolescents.

Officials involved in the programme said the initiative is based on established medical research and international vaccination practices, where HPV immunisation is widely used as a preventive measure against cervical cancer.

The current vaccination campaign will continue until May 30 during which eligible girls aged between 14 and 15 years can access the vaccine at designated civic health facilities across Ahmedabad.

–IANS

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