BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- China is planning to roll out human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination services for females of eligible age and incorporate the vaccine into its national immunization program this year, the National Health Commission (NHC) announced on Thursday.

Under China's Vaccine Management Law, the country implements a national immunization program that provides residents with selected vaccines free of charge.

In recent years, a growing number of local governments have begun providing free domestic HPV vaccinations to girls -- mainly adolescents aged 9 to 14.

Calls to add HPV vaccines to China's national immunization program have increased in recent years, driven by the wider availability of affordable domestic vaccines and the mounting burden of cervical cancer.

China currently has both domestic and imported HPV vaccines on the market. The country's first homegrown nine-valent HPV vaccine, rolled out in June, was administered for the first time this Tuesday.

HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer and a major threat to women's health. Statistics show that globally, approximately 700,000 cancer cases each year are associated with HPV, including an estimated 530,000 cases of cervical cancer.

Health experts believe vaccination remains the most effective and affordable way to prevent infection and lower the risk of cervical cancer and related diseases. Notably, data show that vaccination is up to 94 percent effective in preventing HPV infection.

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, aiming for 90 percent of girls to be fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 by 2030.

In alignment with this WHO strategy, China's NHC launched a cervical cancer elimination action plan for the 2022-2030 period, urging the expansion of HPV vaccination coverage nationwide. ■