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World Immunisation Week – Stopping Cancer Before it Starts

As World Immunisation Week approaches, it’s a perfect time to bring to focus a game-changer in cancer prevention: immunisation against cervical cancer. Cervical cancer, very common among Indian women, but what most people are unaware is that a simple HPV vaccine can be used to prevent this deadly disease. Here’s why this simple shot is a big deal—and how it fits into our mission to save lives.

Immunisation as Cancer Prevention

When we think of immunisation, childhood diseases like measles or polio often come to mind. But vaccines can also fight cancer by targeting viruses that cause it. Cervical cancer is most likely caused due to the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common infection passed through skin-to-skin contact, often during sexual activity.

While most HPV infections clear up on their own, certain high-risk strains can linger and trigger growth of abnormal cells in the cervix, causing cancer over time. The HPV vaccine has a unique mode of working. It trains the immune system to find, and destroy these harmful strains before they cause trouble—stopping cancer before it starts.

1. HPV Vaccination Plays a Critical Role in India

In India, cervical cancer claims thousands of lives yearly, making it a major public health challenge. It’s the second most common cancer among women here, with many cases diagnosed too late for effective treatment.

Several factors fuel this crisis:

• Limited access to screening, especially in rural areas
• Low awareness about preventive strategies like vaccines
• Cultural hesitancy around discussing sexual health
• Myths and superstitions surrounding cancer
2. HPV vaccination offers a proactive solution

By protecting against the virus responsible for nearly all cervical cancer cases, it slashes the risk dramatically—studies show it can prevent up to 90% of these cancers when given early.

Girls aged 9 to 14 are the ideal candidates for the vaccine, as it works best before exposure to HPV.

In India, where early marriages and limited healthcare access are relatively common, vaccinating young girls could offer a chance to break the cycle of late diagnoses and high mortality of cervical cancer.

Boys can also benefit since the vaccine also protects from throat and anal cancers.

Even though benefits and many, awareness remains low, making education during World Immunisation Week a critical aspect.

World Immunisation Week is a time to remind us that a small step like vaccination can have a massive impact —reducing the burden of cervical cancer and empowering women to live healthier lives.

It’s Time to Take Action

This World Immunisation Week let us take action and spread the word about HPV vaccine’s potential to erase cervical cancer from India’s future. It’s safe, effective, and a proven way to outsmart a killer disease.

Dr. Nitin Bayas
DNB (Internal Medicine) DNB (Medical Oncology)
Speciality- Medical Oncologist and Hemato-Oncologist.
MOC Cancer Care & Research Centre, Borivali.