Mitra CanCare Foundation, under its Taruni Mitra services, in collaboration with The Sathya SaiTrust, successfully conducted a pilot program for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening in Chitradurga district, Karnataka.
As part of the initiative, HPV vaccination was administered to 104 girl children aged 9–14 years, studying in classes 8th, 9th, and 10th, from multiple schools. In addition, 93 women aged 20–65 years, including several mothers of the vaccinated children, voluntarily underwent HPV DNA screening and Pap Smear testing. The program was conducted in two phases:
3rd January 2026 at Suneetha Nursing Home (SNH), Chitradurga
10th January 2026 at Basaveswara Medical College Hospital (BMCH)
The HPV vaccines were procured from the Serum Institute of India and safely transported from Davangere to Chitradurga under strict cold chain protocols to ensure vaccine efficacy.
Dr. Mahalaxmi and Dr. Suneetha administered the vaccines to the children, while Dr. Prathima and Dr. Shreya carried out the screening tests for women. The initiative was strongly supported by Mitra volunteers, nursing staff, and medical teams, including Dr. Sowmya and Dr. Hema from SNH and BMCH. The second dose of the HPV vaccine is scheduled before mid-July 2026 to ensure complete immunization for all participating children.
