Mangaluru: In a bid to increase the coverage of the HPV vaccination drive in Dakshina Kannada, the health department gears up to fight negative campaigns on social media.DHO Dr Thimmaiah HR told reporters here on Tuesday, that people should ignore the negative propaganda against the HPV vaccine on social media. “If parents want to give their daughter the best gift, let them offer it through the HPV vaccine, which is an effective, non-live vaccine that prevents cervical cancer by protecting against high-risk HPV strains. Cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major public health concern across the world,” he said. The target for the HPV vaccine in Dakshina Kannada is 22,473, and a total of 8,280 vaccines have reached the district. A total of 527 girls have already been administered the vaccine as of Tuesday, he said, and called upon parents to ensure that girls who have attained 14 years of age on Feb 28 and are less than 15 years old, are given the vaccine. The DHO said that several reasons, including the final exams for students, have led to parents not showing interest in vaccinating their daughters. The department has already held meetings with the DDPI, BEOs, and medical officers to accelerate the HPV vaccine campaign. As per the Union ministry of health and family welfare guidelines, 2.5 lakh doses of the HPV vaccine have been supplied to Karnataka. Vaccines will be given free of charge at all PHCs, taluk hospitals, and the district hospital between 9 am and 4 pm for a period of three months. A single dose of the Gardasil-4 HPV vaccine will be administered at these cold chain points (CCP). Medical officers have been designated to manage adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), he said, adding that the side effects are negligible.Quoting data from 2022, the DHO said that 79,103 new cases of cervical cancer were reported, and 34,805 died in the year. In Dakshina Kannada, the number of cervical cancer cases has increased over the years. While the district reported 92 cases in 2023-24, the number increased to 104 in 2024-25 and 539 in 2025-26, he added.
