According to the government work report delivered Friday by China's southern province of Hainan, starting in the spring semester of 2022, more than 70,000 schoolgirls will be provided free domestically-made bivalent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccines. The vaccination will help prevent HPV strains 16 and 18, which are responsible for about 84.5% of cervical cancers.

LI TIANPING / HAINAN DAILY

“Hainan has made HPV vaccination a priority plan this year for the benefit of its people,” said Zhou Changqiang, Director of the Health Commission of Hainan Province, an attendee of the Fifth Session of the Sixth Hainan Provincial People's Congress.

According to Zhou, the vaccination plan targets girls aged 13 to 14 and a half registered in schools across the province. That means around 70,000 girls will receive the free HPV vaccination in 2022, according to the annual number of children born in Hainan. Going forward, the tropical province plans to continue vaccinating girls in this age group, so that starting in 2023, more than 40,000 Hainan girls will benefit from the free bivalent HPV vaccines every year.