The Department of Health & Family Welfare, in collaboration with Girl Effect India, launched ‘Teeka Talk’, an initiative aimed at strengthening awareness and informed engagement around Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer prevention across Nagaland.
The initiative was launched during a state-level meeting at the Conference Hall of the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Kohima, on Thursday, chaired by Principal Director, Health & Family Welfare, Dr Keveduyi Theyo. More than 60 stakeholders from the Health, Education and Women & Child Development (WCD) departments participated in the meeting to strengthen inter-departmental coordination and community engagement on HPV vaccination.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Theyo said Nagaland was committed to ensuring that adolescent girls and their families had access to accurate and trusted information on HPV vaccination so that they could make informed health decisions.
She stressed the need for close coordination among the Health, Education and WCD departments, along with meaningful engagement with schools, communities and frontline workers. The collaboration with Girl Effect India through Teeka Talk, she said, would help bring credible and youth-friendly information closer to girls and families across the State.
State Immunization Officer Dr Imkongtemsu Longchar said cervical cancer remained an important public health concern for women in India, while HPV vaccination offered an opportunity to prevent the HPV infections responsible for most cervical cancers.
He encouraged parents and caregivers to support eligible girls in receiving the HPV vaccine at the recommended age, saying timely access to accurate information was essential to building confidence in vaccination.
According to the National Cancer Registry Programme–Indian Council of Medical Research (NCRP–ICMR), 2024, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, with 78,499 women diagnosed and 42,392 lives lost.
The Government of Nagaland is providing free HPV vaccination to girls aged 14 years at government health facilities. The vaccination, like other childhood and adolescent immunisations, can help prevent HPV infections that cause most cervical cancers.
Director, Girl Effect India, Kavita Ayyagari said questions and concerns about vaccines were natural, particularly when they were unfamiliar to families. Teeka Talk seeks to make reliable information on HPV vaccination easier to access and understand through schools, communities, parent engagement and digital platforms.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
She highlighted the importance of reaching Nagaland’s diverse and geographically dispersed communities through information in formats and languages that are accessible to them, with the aim of helping girls and their families feel informed and supported in making decisions about HPV vaccination.
The initiative includes a WhatsApp-based chatbot providing parents and adolescents with clear and credible information and answers to common questions concerning HPV vaccination and cervical cancer.
Perspectives from Kohima and Dimapur districts informed discussions on implementation, while representatives from the Health, Education and WCD departments explored ways to strengthen outreach across communities.
The next phase will focus on coordinated implementation across departments and districts, with emphasis on school, parent and community engagement and ensuring that eligible adolescent girls and their families have access to trusted information on HPV vaccination.
Teeka Talk is a Girl Effect India initiative supporting HPV vaccination awareness and informed decision-making among adolescents, parents and communities. Girl Effect India, an independent non-profit organisation, has been working in India since 2019 on adolescent health and wellbeing through social and behaviour change programmes using media, mobile technology and AI-powered platforms.
