A VACCINE THAT PREVENTS SIX CANCERS:

Why in the news?

HPV vaccination and cervical cancer awareness highlighted amidst January’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and International HPV Awareness Day in March.

source:imgur

About  HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Awareness:

  • HPV Vaccination and Screening: HPV vaccination and screening for precancerous lesions are crucial strategies for prevention.
  • These methods aim to achieve the WHO’s 90-70-90 intervention targets by 2030.
  • January and March Observances: January marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, while March 4 is International HPV Awareness Day.
  • Cervical Cancer Impact: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, causing over 300,000 deaths annually.
What is CERVAVAC?

●  CERVAVAC is India’s first indigenous quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine effective against strains 6, 11, 16, and 18.

●   It utilizes Virus-Like Particles (VLP) technology, akin to the Hepatitis B vaccine.

What is Cervical cancer?

●   Cervical cancer develops in the cervix and ranks 4th globally, 2nd in India among women.

●   Nearly all cases linked to high-risk HPV infection are transmitted sexually.

●   Preventable through HPV vaccination and precancerous lesion screening.