Country's first homegrown vaccine for cervical cancer is expected to be launched tomorrow, as per news agency ANI. This vaccine will be the light in the path of managing cervical cancer which is the fourth most common cancer in women. This form of cancer develops in a woman's cervix. As per the data of the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2018, an estimated 570 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 311 000 women died from the disease.
Majority of cervical cancer is due to human papillomavirus. Two human papillomavirus (HPV) types (16 and 18) are responsible for nearly 50% of high grade cervical pre-cancers. "It takes 15 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop in women with normal immune systems. but for someone with a weak immune system it can take only 5 to 10 years.
