Guwahati: An independent study involving 2,000 girls in Assam found no significant adverse effects from the HPV vaccine CERVAVAC, apart from mild pain at the injection site in 6.1% of recipients.Published in the peer-reviewed Annals of Oncology Research and Therapy, the study was conducted by Dr Gayatri Gogoi of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dr Dippy Aggarwal of Dispur Hospital Private Limited, Guwahati, and Amay Kashyap Deka of Delhi Public School, Guwahati.The study covered Assam’s first HPV vaccination initiative, conducted from March 2025 to Feb 2026 in association with the Pratishruti Cancer and Palliative Trust, Dibrugarh. A total of 2,000 girls aged nine and above received 3,800 doses of the indigenously developed vaccine.“A lot of apprehension was observed in the beginning of the vaccination drive regarding the safety and side effects of CERVAVAC, but after receiving the second dose, there were no reports of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) except mild pain in the injection site (6.1%),” reads the research paper.Gogoi said the study was evidence-based and debunked social media rumours linking the HPV vaccine to adverse health effects. “Ours is the first paper where we are writing that there was no side effect and it was based on evidence after vaccination of 2,000 girls, with most of them requiring three doses. None of those girls had any side effects except injection site pain and swelling, just like any other injection,” she said.Non-governmental organisations played a pivotal role in spreading awareness and supporting vaccination across the country, but this vaccination drive was the first initiative in the state so far as HPV vaccination is concerned. The impact was an infinite transformation of mindset to a finite measurable outcome, setting a national record of the highest number of HPV vaccinations carried by a non-governmental organisation within a year.
