Dibrugarh: A recent survey conducted among students in Upper Assam has revealed alarmingly low uptake of the HPV vaccine, with fewer than one percent of respondents reporting that they had received the vaccine.
The study, carried out in early 2025 by cancer researcher Dr. Gayatri Gogoi and Sadiqah Kouser, an MBBS student at Assam Medical College, assessed awareness, hesitancy and willingness among 160 high-school and college students. The findings highlight serious gaps in understanding of HPV, despite cervical cancer being the second most common cancer among Indian women and claiming a life every eight minutes.
While most respondents understood that HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer, many cited barriers. About 60% said they never had the opportunity to get vaccinated, while nearly 40% were unaware of the vaccine. High cost emerged as the biggest deterrent, although 88% expressed willingness if the vaccine were subsidised.
In response, Dr. Gogoi designed a large-scale awareness and vaccination initiative through Pratishruti Cancer and Palliative Trust, offering Cervavac—India’s indigenous quadrivalent vaccine—at nearly half the hospital price. Beginning with a launch in Dibrugarh on March 6, drives have since been held in Guwahati, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sibsagar, Diphu, Nalbari, Tezpur, Nagaon, Morigaon and Tinsukia, supported by doctors’ associations and hospitals. Nearly 3,000 doses have already been administered.
Doctors say HPV vaccination, combined with routine screening, could prevent thousands of cervical cancer cases in the coming years. They hope wider government support and inclusion in universal immunisation will accelerate protection for girls across Assam.
