Health activist group raises concerns over HPV vaccination drive, seeks temporary halt

By A Representative 

Swasthya Adhikar Manch, a public health advocacy group, has urged the Union government to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the ongoing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, and called for its temporary suspension pending a comprehensive review.

In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the group flagged what it described as unresolved concerns surrounding the nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, which began on February 28, 2026. The campaign targets 14-year-old girls and involves administering Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine intended to protect against certain strains of HPV linked to cervical cancer.

The organisation has requested that the current campaign-style rollout be formally classified as a Phase IV clinical trial, arguing that such categorisation would require stricter adherence to post-marketing surveillance norms and regulatory safeguards. It has also called for renewed consent procedures, including re-contacting parents of vaccinated girls, providing them with copies of previously signed consent forms, and obtaining fresh informed consent incorporating additional disclosures.

The group has demanded that the vaccination drive be halted until these measures are implemented and its concerns are addressed.

In its communication, Swasthya Adhikar Manch referred to earlier controversies surrounding HPV vaccine trials in India. It cited the findings of the 72nd Parliamentary Standing Committee Report (2013), which examined trials conducted by the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) involving around 25,000 minor girls in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The report had raised concerns over procedural lapses, including issues related to informed consent and monitoring.

The group also pointed to allegations of “gross dereliction of duty” by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) during earlier phases of the vaccine’s introduction, and noted that compensation had not been provided to families of seven girls who died during that period. According to the organisation, the matter has previously been raised before the Supreme Court.

The current HPV vaccination programme is part of the government’s broader public health initiative aimed at reducing the burden of cervical cancer, one of the most common cancers among women in India. Public health authorities have maintained that the vaccine is safe and effective, and that large-scale immunisation is critical for long-term disease prevention.