Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh announces India’s first indigenously developed vaccine, “CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Key points
- ‘CERVAVAC’ is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine through its partnership programme ‘Grand Challenges India’.
- Dr Singh announced the scientific completion of the quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (qHPV) vaccine.
- Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most prevalent cancers in India and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the world’s cervical cancer deaths despite being largely preventable.
- Current estimates indicate that every year approximately 1.25 lakhs women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease in India, and 83 % of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18 in India, and 70% of cases worldwide.
- The most promising intervention for preventing cervical cancer is vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV).
- It is estimated that HPV types 16 and 18 (HPV-16 and HPV-18) together contribute to approximately 70% of all invasive cervical cancer cases worldwide.
