International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

A vaccination targeting HPV-16 and HPV-18 could eliminate 75 per cent of all cervical cancers in India, it has been reported.

Data presented by the American Association for Cancer Research indicates that these most common types of human papillomavirus are responsible for 83 per cent of cases in the country.

The association also reports that cervical cancer caused by HPV is the most common cancer among Indian women, with an estimated 132,000 new cases and 74,000 deaths every year.

A Raj Kumar Patro, of the Department of Microbiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, said the cost of the vaccines causes problems for many people in poor areas, meaning take-up is low despite high levels of demand.

"At present it is purchased by the upper classes and if it becomes freely available through advocacy and outreach efforts, it could reach the general population," he added.

"Most women present with an advanced state of the disease and compliance with treatment is very poor."

Last week, Human Rights Watch reported that the Indian government is failing on the issue of maternal mortality.