The health ministry has decided to extend its free “catch-up” program for the human papillomavirus (HPV), citing logistical challenges and a shortage of the vaccine.
The revised timeline, approved at a ministry panel meeting on Wednesday, allows eligible women to receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of March 2025 and complete the remaining two doses within the following year.
The program тАФ initially set to end in March 2025 тАФ will also expand eligibility to include women born in fiscal 2008. This means that women born between fiscal years 1997 and 2008 qualify for the free vaccine.
