Türkiye to launch HPV vaccine campaign by end of year

ANKARA

Türkiye will begin offering free HPV vaccines by the end of 2025, the health minister has announced, celebrating a major step forward in the country’s efforts to prevent cervical cancer through early and equitable access to vaccination.

“We are currently screening for both HPV and SMA. We will also start providing the vaccines, especially the HPV vaccine, free of charge, especially to our 13-year-old children, by the end of 2025,” Kemal Memişoğlu said in televised remarks on state-run TRT Haber.

The vaccine will be administered on a voluntary basis as part of a national immunization program, he noted.

Memişoğlu also addressed the concerns about the potential rise in tick-borne illnesses during the summer months, clarifying that the current data does not show an unusual increase in cases or deaths.

Recently, a fatality was reported in the central province of Sivas, where a patient succumbed ten days after improperly removing ticks affixed to his body. This year alone, similar mortalities in Sivas have ascended to six. Local media sources have documented occurrences across other provinces alike.

 Studies on tick disease, mpox vaccines

Speaking on the issue, Memişoğlu noted that the country is not experiencing “any unusual death rate compared to previous years,” adding that they are closely monitoring the issue.

He added that Türkiye could become one of the first countries to develop a vaccine for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, with ongoing research in the central province of Kayseri and Istanbul. The minister further noted that a rabies vaccine combined with antigen is expected to be locally produced by 2026.

Memişoğlu also shared preliminary results from the nationwide health screening campaign focused on measuring height, weight and body mass index (BMI).

“Three million people participated, and about 35 percent were found to be overweight. In total, 52 to 55 percent of participants are not within the ideal weight range,” he said.

As part of the initiative, medical teams across the country’s 81 provinces conduct BMI screenings in a bid to combat the country’s escalating obesity problem.