PATNA, March 1 -- Bihar has set a target to vaccinate 13 lakh adolescent girls aged 14-15 years with a single dose of the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil over the next three months, health minister Mangal Pandey announced on Saturday. The minister was speaking at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) after attending, via video conferencing, the nationwide launch of the human papillomavirus (HPV) single-dose vaccination campaign by the Prime Minister from Ajmer. Pandey said Bihar had launched its HPV vaccination programme for girls aged 9-14 years about 18 months ago, administering Cervavac under a two-dose schedule. "More than 6.79 lakh adolescent girls have received the first dose of Cervavac and over 85,000 have received the second dose. The remaining eligible girls will receive their second dose after the prescribed six-month interval," he said. The newly introduced single-dose Gardasil vaccine will be administered only to girls who have not received any prior cervical cancer vaccine. Those who have already taken the first dose of Cervavac will continue with the existing two-dose schedule and will not be given Gardasil, clarified health secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh. The state government had sanctioned Rs.150 crore for the cervical cancer vaccination programme when it became one of the first states to roll it out in October 2024. Pandey said the vaccine would be provided free of cost at government health facilities up to the primary health centre (PHC) level. "Under the Prime Minister's leadership, the country has resolved to protect girls from cervical cancer and prevent deaths from the disease. The state scheme will now be integrated with the Government of India's national programme," he added. Health secretary Singh said the vaccine would be administered through 703 government health facilities at district and block headquarters across Bihar. He added that the state received around 7.5 lakh doses of Gardasil from the Centre for the current phase of the drive....