In December last year, the government of India announced that it will roll out the HPV vaccine, or the Human papillomavirus virus, for girls aged between 9 and 14 years. The move is seen as a game-changer that can save the lives of millions of women in the country. What is the HPV vaccine, and how important is it? Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the cervix, it causes cervical cancer. In India, one woman is killed every eight minutes due to cervical cancer. Globally, cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer type. India accounts for 1/5th of the global cases. And even though cervical cancer is preventable, it kills 67,000 women per year in India alone. There is little awareness about this cancer and less than 10% of Indian women get screened. Even though two global vaccines are available in India since 2018, they were priced between Rs 2000-3500, making them out of reach for several people. The cost also prevented government programs to adopt the vaccine. A new HPV vaccine, called CERVAVAC is to be rolled out by mid-2023 and will be manufactured in India. Script and production: Richard Kujur Thank you for watching our video! You can subscribe to our channel here: https://bit.ly/3c8Adi6 Visit https://www.thehindu.com/ for the latest updates, analysis, opinions, and more. You can also download our apps: Android: https://bit.ly/3nboBEi iOs: https://apple.co/3EDCwt4 The Hindu is committed to keeping you up-to-date with information on the developments in India and the world. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. You can support us by subscribing to our digital offerings here: https://bit.ly/3emywiz Follow us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_hindu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_hindu/