Empowering Mysuru, India, Against Cervical Cancer: HPV Awareness Initiative for International HPV Awareness Day IHAD
Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII), and the Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) are spearheading a comprehensive HPV awareness initiative in Mysuru throughout March 2024, aligning with International HPV Awareness Day (IHAD) on March 4th.
Planned Events:
Group presentations with interactive discussions on HPV, cervical cancer, and prevention at institutions of higher education across Mysuru. Educational sessions, conducted in English and/or Kannada, will also serve as a training program for public health students to extend awareness in rural communities.
Publication of an informative article on HPV, cervical cancer, and prevention in local newspapers in both English and Kannada.
Distribution of informational flyers across the city through inserts in local newspapers.
An awareness program at one of the mentioned colleges.
Implementation of a cervical cancer screening program at Prerana Women’s Health Initiative, PHRII’s reproductive health clinic.
This initiative is funded by Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) and the aim is not only to raise awareness but also to actively contribute to preventive healthcare in Mysuru. Together, we can combat cervical cancer and promote women’s health.
CSR Project 2023
Increasing HPV vaccination uptake among adolescent girls in peri-urban and rural Mysore communities in India
Under the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, PHRII received funds from SUN PHARMA company to give HPV vaccines to girl child between the age of 9 and 14 years living in rural areas.
In January 2024, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, 193 adolescent girls in four high schools across rural Mysuru District were vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for cervical cancer. This first-of-its-kind initiative in Mysuru integrated a vaccination drive with school-based community education. Interactive educational sessions were presented to schoolgirls, their teachers, and parents on HPV, cervical cancer, and its prevention. The girls were then provided with the Gardasil-9 vaccine which protects against nine high-risk or cancer-causing HPV types. Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) conducted this program in collaboration with the JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research.
CSR Project 2022
PHRII is currently collaborating with Society for Advancement of Resource-less by Training and Handholding (SAMARTH), Lucknow, UP on a project titled “To Reduce the Prevalence of Gender-based violence (GBV) in the Urban Slums of two cities Mysore (Karnataka) and Bareilly (UP) through Advocacy, Community Mobilization and Behaviour Change Communication”. This project has been funded by Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Foundation via their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding initiative.
This project aims to study the attitudes of men and women at a community-level towards gender norms, social behaviour, gender-based violence and intimate partner violence and measure if an intervention of positive messaging and community activism can affect these. The first phase will consist of a qualitative study to understand community perceptions about gender based violence through focus group discussions with key stakeholders, and married men and women. The second phase will consist of a multi-component intervention: community workshops, community activism and positive messaging via SMS to bring about positive social behavioral change. Project activities will take place simultaneously in the UP and Karnataka sites in urban slums.
