Ramping up the fight against cervical cancer India has launched a national vaccination program to combat cervical cancer by including the HPV vaccine in its immunization schedule, Mission Indradhanush. Starting in March, all 14-year-old girls in the country will receive a single dose of Gardasil-4, produced by the pharmaceutical company MSD. This initiative aims to reduce the significant burden of cervical cancer, which remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Indian women. The country reports approximately 120,000 new cases annually and nearly 80,000 deaths, contributing substantially to global cervical cancer mortality rates. However, concerns about the accuracy of incidence data persist. The introduction of the HPV vaccine has reignited debates about its safety and efficacy. Critics, including Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, have cited arguments from the 2018 book HPV Vaccine on Trial by Mary Holland and others, which questions the vaccine’s long-term benefits. The book highlights commercial interests driving its global promotion and raises concerns about higher reported deaths among vaccine recipients compared to cervical cancer fatalities. Rumors, such as claims that the vaccine causes infertility, have spread through social media, fueling public skepticism. Assessing the HPV vaccine’s effectiveness is complicated by the long latency period of cervical cancer, which typically develops decades after HPV infection. The disease often manifests around age 50, meaning vaccines administered to adolescents may take decades to fully evaluate. When Gardasil was first approved by the FDA in 2006, clinical trials followed participants for only three to five years, despite the development program spanning from 1998 to 2006. This limited follow-up has drawn criticism.#india #mission_indradhanush #msd #prashant_bhushan #gavil
