Kathmandu, Feb. 4 -- Nepal has launched the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on World Cancer Day today, aiming to immunize over 1.6 million girls aged 10-15 years.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that spreads through skin-to-skin contact and is a leading cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in the developing world and a major cause of death among Nepali women. It is estimated that hundreds of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Nepal every year.

The vaccination campaign started on February 4 (World Cancer Day) with a target to inoculate both school-going and out-of-school girls aged between 10 and 15 years with a single dose of the human papillomavirus...