HPV vaccination drive for UP Police families launched
Anandiben Patel
on Wednesday inaugurated the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign at Lucknow Commissionerate Police Lines. Under this campaign's first phase, 140 girls, aged 9 to 26 years, from police families received free HPV vaccinations.
The initiative, launched under the joint collaboration of
Uttar Pradesh Police
, King George's Medical University (KGMU), Green Gas Limited, and WAMA Sarathi, marks a significant stride in preventive healthcare for families of law enforcement agencies.
The campaign is a response to the increasing threat of cervical cancer, which affects over 1.25 lakh women in India every year, with nearly 70,000 deaths annually-one every eight minutes-due to the HPV virus.
In her address, the Governor called the campaign not just a health initiative, but a "social protection shield" for the daughters of police personnel. "A healthy daughter is the foundation of a healthy society," she said.
DGP Rajeev Krishna, who led the drive alongside Lucknow Police Commissioner Amrendra Kumar Sengar, stated, "Our personnel work tirelessly for public safety, often neglecting their own families. Through this campaign, we want to tell them, 'your family is our family'."
The event was attended by senior police officials, KGMU medical experts, representatives of supporting organisations, and numerous police families.
HPV is a leading cause of cervical cancer among women, and timely vaccination can prevent up to 90% of such cases. The vaccine is most effective between ages 9 and 14 but remains beneficial up to age 26. Experts present at the event also emphasised that boys can also be at risk, as HPV is linked to other forms of cancer. Based on the success of this pilot programme, the campaign will be scaled statewide.
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