More than 360,000 girls in Kazakhstan have received their first dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to the republic's Ministry of Health, as reported by infohub.kz.
Citing its Telegram channel, the Ministry of Health said that between September 2024 and October 12, 2026, more than 301,700 girls aged 11–13 received the first dose, while 196,600 received the second.
Girls aged 14–17 joined the program in May 2026. In this age group, about 58,600 girls have received the first dose and 19,100 the second.
The ministry noted that vaccination is state-funded and voluntary, and requires the consent of parents or legal guardians.
"The HPV vaccine helps protect against the most dangerous types of the virus, which cause most cases of cervical cancer, and significantly reduces the risk of developing the disease in the future. According to monitoring data, no adverse reactions following immunization have been recorded among vaccinated girls," the Ministry of Health said.
Kazakhstan launched HPV vaccination for girls in the fall of 2024. Under a decree by the chief state sanitary doctor, 11-year-old girls are vaccinated as part of the routine schedule, with catch-up immunization also provided for girls aged 12 to 13 inclusive.
HPV is an extremely common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Its distinguishing feature is that it can remain asymptomatic for many years but ultimately lead to benign (papillomas) or malignant (cervical cancer) diseases of the reproductive organs.
Earlier this year it was reported that routine HPV vaccination for girls was continuing in Kazakhstan. However, the country's chief state sanitary doctor signed a decree on additional HPV vaccination for girls aged 14 to 17 inclusive.
Kazakhstan has also begun discussing HPV vaccination for boys. In May, Raikhan Bolatbekova, deputy director of the Almaty Oncology Center, gave an approximate timeframe, saying boys would be included in the HPV vaccination program starting in 2027 or 2028.
Recently, Vice Minister of Finance Abzal Beisenbekuly said the plan is to begin HPV vaccination for 11-year-old boys in 2027.