A Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination program for female physicians and hospital employees will begin on Tuesday at Pune’s B J Medical College (BJMC) and Sassoon General Hospital (SGH). Hospital officials have verified that BJMC will be the first government medical institution in Maharashtra to launch such an immunization campaign.
About 1,000 students, including MBBS, nursing, and postgraduate students up to the age of 26, are anticipated to benefit from the immunization effort, which will take place on the SGH campus. Four subtypes of the HPV virus are targeted by the offered quadrivalent HPV vaccine: 6, 11, 16, and 18. Within a year, it will be given in three doses: the first at the beginning, the second two months later, and the third six months later.
The goal of the HPV vaccination, according to Dr. Yallapa Jadhav, medical superintendent of BJMC and SGH, is to prevent genital warts brought on by HPV types 6 and 11, as well as diseases linked to HPV, including as cervical, vaginal, vulvar, and anal cancers. Immunity is boosted by the vaccine prior to viral exposure. He underlined that the immunization campaign is free and optional for participants.
Given the high rate of HPV infections in India, this vaccine campaign is targeted exclusively at female students up to the age of 26, according to Dr. Eknath Pawar, dean of BJMC and SGH. Although the vaccination is currently available nationwide, BJMC is the first Maharashtra government medical college to launch this kind of program. Numerous students have already reserved their spots in advance, demonstrating the strong response. Approximately 30 to 40 students will receive vaccinations each day during the immunization sessions.
Dr. Pawar added that BJMC and SGH have voluntarily started this project, even though HPV vaccine would soon be a part of the national immunization program. The manufacturer has given the vaccines at a reduced cost, and BJMC and SGH have paid for them.
The most prevalent virus that infects the reproductive system, HPV can cause genital warts, anal cancer, cervical cancer, and other malignancies of the reproductive organs in both men and women. One way to lower the chance of getting these potentially fatal illnesses is to be vaccinated against HPV. An important step in the fight against HPV-related malignancies in India has been taken with this program at BJMC and SGH.
SOURCE :
HINDUSTAN TIMES
