Haizhu has been providing free HPV vaccines for girls under 14 years old who have not received the HPV vaccine in the first year of junior high school since September.

A number of cities in Guangdong province have started administering domestically made 2-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines free to female first-year junior high school students under 14 years old.

The program, aimed at preventing cervical cancer, is expected to benefit more than 750,000 girls each year in Guangdong, according to the provincial health commission.

The Haizhu district education bureau has organized schools to carry out publicity of this service, which is available to students who are brought to the community by their parents for vaccination. Guangzhou Nanwu Middle School has previously carried out publicity for first-year junior high students to further popularize cervical cancer-related health information and to emphasize the importance of HPV vaccination to students.

The first dose will be administered between September and November and the second dose in March and April next year.

The provincial government issued a work plan in November and allocated 600 million yuan ($86.1 million) for this purpose, with city governments working out detailed plans afterward.

Currently, three types of HPV vaccines 2-valent, 4-valent, and 9-valent are available in China, named after the number of viral strains they protect against. The 9-valent one is the most sought-after but harder to get due to supply constraints.

The 2- and 4-valent vaccines are suitable for wide age groups. When facing a shortage of 9-valent doses, it is important to receive the other two alternatives at an early age to expand immunization coverage.

Haizhu provides free HPV vaccines to first-year junior high school female students. [Photo/WeChat account: gzhzfb]