UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Update on HPV Vaccination Programme and Cervical Cancer Prevention

Q1. The nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched in February 2026 is most accurately distinguished as which one of the following?

  • A. The first vaccine ever introduced under India's Universal Immunization Programme
  • B. India's first vaccination campaign to rely exclusively on an indigenously manufactured vaccine
  • C. India's first nationwide, free, gender-specific vaccination campaign aimed at cancer prevention
  • D. The first immunization drive delivered wholly through Day Care Cancer Centres

Q2. Approximately how many girls did the HPV vaccination campaign launched on 28 February 2026 set out to cover annually across all States and Union Territories?

  • A. About 12 crore
  • B. About 1.2 crore
  • C. About 1.15 lakh
  • D. About 3.2 crore

Q3. In the context of cervical cancer prevention, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A retrovirus, related to HIV, that integrates into the host genome and is mainly blood-borne
  • B. A herpes-family virus that causes recurrent painful genital ulcers but not cancer
  • C. An RNA flavivirus transmitted chiefly by mosquito bites
  • D. A DNA virus whose high-risk types — notably 16 and 18 — cause the majority of cervical cancers

Q4. The National HPV Vaccination Programme for cervical cancer prevention is implemented by which one of the following Union ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • C. Ministry of AYUSH
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q5. Within the campaign's integrated 'vaccinate–screen–treat' model, opportunistic screening and early detection of cervical cancer among adult women is envisaged primarily at which one of the following?

  • A. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
  • B. Day Care Cancer Centres
  • C. Government Medical Colleges
  • D. Regional Cancer Centres

Q6. Which one of the following best describes a 'Day Care Cancer Centre' as announced in the Union Budget 2025-26?

  • A. A mobile van providing community cervical-cancer screening in rural and tribal areas
  • B. A tertiary-level oncology research-and-teaching institute set up in each State capital
  • C. A district-level facility offering day-care cancer services such as chemotherapy, to be set up in district hospitals
  • D. A hospice providing long-term palliative care to terminally ill cancer patients

Q7. Consider the following statements about the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI): 1. It is the apex advisory body on immunization in India, recommending on vaccines after reviewing disease burden, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. 2. Its secretariat has been institutionalised at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW). 3. It is a statutory regulator that grants licences for the manufacture and marketing of vaccines in India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is the apex advisory body on immunization in India, recommending on vaccines after reviewing disease burden, efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
  2. Its secretariat has been institutionalised at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW).
  3. It is a statutory regulator that grants licences for the manufacture and marketing of vaccines in India.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. At Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, comprehensive population-based screening is provided for which of the following conditions? 1. Hypertension 2. Cervical cancer 3. Prostate cancer 4. Oral cancer Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Hypertension
  2. Cervical cancer
  3. Prostate cancer
  4. Oral cancer
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q9. Consider the following statements about the WHO 90-70-90 targets for cervical cancer elimination by 2030: 1. 90% of girls should be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age. 2. 70% of women should be screened with a high-performance test by 30 and 45 years of age. 3. 90% of women identified with cervical disease should receive treatment. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 90% of girls should be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age.
  2. 70% of women should be screened with a high-performance test by 30 and 45 years of age.
  3. 90% of women identified with cervical disease should receive treatment.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following statements about the WHO Global Strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer is correct?

  • A. It requires every WHO member state to make HPV vaccination compulsory for all adolescents
  • B. Cervical cancer is the first cancer WHO has called upon all countries to eliminate as a public health problem, guided by the 90-70-90 targets
  • C. It aims to completely eradicate cervical cancer everywhere in the world by 2030
  • D. It mandates that all member countries switch exclusively to a single-dose HPV vaccination schedule

Q11. Beneficiaries of the National HPV Vaccination Programme are registered and their vaccination is tracked mainly through which one of the following digital platforms?

  • A. Co-WIN
  • B. eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network)
  • C. U-WIN
  • D. RCH (Reproductive and Child Health) portal

Q12. Consider the following statements comparing the HPV vaccines relevant to India: 1. Gardasil-4, used in India's 2026 national campaign, is a quadrivalent vaccine protecting against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. 2. Cervavac, India's first indigenously developed HPV vaccine, is also a quadrivalent vaccine covering the same four HPV types. 3. Cervavac received its market authorisation in 2022 and is manufactured by Bharat Biotech. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Gardasil-4, used in India's 2026 national campaign, is a quadrivalent vaccine protecting against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
  2. Cervavac, India's first indigenously developed HPV vaccine, is also a quadrivalent vaccine covering the same four HPV types.
  3. Cervavac received its market authorisation in 2022 and is manufactured by Bharat Biotech.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3