(Yicai) Sept. 11 -- China will add the human papillomavirus vaccine to its national immunization program this year, marking the first major expansion of the scheme in 17 years.

HPV vaccination services will be offered to school-aged girls from this year, Shen Hongbing, director of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said at a press conference today.

The move signals a shift in China’s immunization strategy from focusing only on childhood vaccines to disease prevention across the lifespan.

Yicai learned from multiple sources that the program will use the bivalent vaccine, with school-age girls as the initial priority group. It remains unclear whether doses will be administered on school campuses, and whether catch-up vaccination will be provided.

The bivalent HPV vaccine targets strains 16 and 18, which cause about 70 percent to 80 percent of cervical cancer cases. Cervical cancer, which develops in the cervix and often shows no early symptoms, is closely linked to HPV infection.

China accounts for 23 percent of the world’s cervical cancer cases and 16 percent of related deaths, according to a 2024 report by the National Cancer Center.

Several regions have already moved ahead with their own programs. As of last month, 18 provinces, including Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian, as well as cities such as Zhengzhou, Ordos, and Shijiazhuang, had launched free HPV vaccination for school-aged girls, covering around 60 percent of Chinese girls aged 13 to 15, according to the National Health Commission.

Since 2021, China has expanded its HPV vaccine capacity, approving two domestically produced bivalent vaccines for marketing. Clinical data show these vaccines provide good immunogenicity, safety, and antibody persistence among girls aged 9 to 14. Several higher-valency products are also in clinical trials.

Growing production has driven down prices. The lowest winning bid for a domestically made HPV vaccine is CNY27.5 (USD3.90) per dose, less than one-tenth of the original market price.

Editor: Emmi Laine