Cervical cancer: FOGSI asks government to include HPV vaccine in the National Program.

The largest organisation in the nation that advocates for women’s health on behalf of obstetricians and gynaecologists, FOGSI, has requested that the HPV vaccine be added to the National Program. This would lessen the burden of cervical cancer, which is quickly overtaking maternal mortality as the leading preventable cause of death and suffering among Indian women, according to the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI).
The high-risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that leads to cervical cancer is a significant health issue for Indian women. Every year, around 120,000 women in the nation are diagnosed with cervical cancer, which causes more than 77,000 fatalities over the same time period. Around 453 million Indian women aged 15 years and above are at risk of developing cervical cancer.

HPV vaccine and routine screening completely prevent cervical cancer.
At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, FOGSI hosted an expert group meeting with the goal of ‘accelerating action for cervical cancer Mukt Bharat.’

Speaking at the Expert Group Meeting on Cervical Cancer, Dr. Shantha Kumari, President, FOGSI, said: ‘So much morbidity and mortality due to cervical cancer is needless. What begins as mild dysplasia takes 10 to 20 years to turn into cervical cancer. This long progression makes the disease entirely preventable. What is needed is regular screening to detect pre-cancerous lesions for early diagnosis treated in a timely manner to prevent their progression into cancer. Yet just screening is not enough. We also require widespread immunization with the HPV vaccine. This can prevent most cases of cervical cancer, and other cancers caused by HPV, if given to women and girls before they get exposed to the virus. We at FOGSI and other like-minded associations would like to see the Government of India include the HPV vaccine in the National Program.’

The meeting was organized in collaboration with prestigious organizations like FIGO (International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians), AOGIN-India (Asia Oceania Research Organization on Genital Infections and Neoplasia India), ISCCP (Indian Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) and AGOI (Association of Gynaecologic Oncologists of India).