Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the government will start inoculating schoolgirls aged 10-14 of Dhaka division against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in September.

“We’ll begin administering the HPV vaccine in September. Now we have 23.5 lakh vaccines. These vaccines will be administered in school level,” he said. The minister came up with the information while addressing a press conference at the ministry’s conference room at the secretariat on Monday.

Zahid Maleque said the ministry will get 20 lakh more HPV vaccines in November and 42 lakh next year. “One dose of vaccine can prevent the cervical cancer caused by the HPV infection,” he said. He further said the government will start the vaccination as per the recommendation of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and National Immunization Technical Advisory Group of Experts (NITAG).