Principal Director Dr Keveduyi Theyo along with officials during the launching of ‘Teeka Talk’ in Kohima on September 17. (DIPR Photo)
Kohima, September 17 (MExN): Nagaland on Thursday launched ‘Teeka Talk’, an initiative to strengthen awareness and engagement around Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination across the state, in collaboration with Girl Effect India.
The initiative, aimed at supporting parents, adolescents and communities with trusted information on HPV vaccination and prevention against cervical cancer, was launched at the conference hall of the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare here, a DIPR report said.
The launch was held during a state-level meeting chaired by Principal Director, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Keveduyi Theyo, and brought together over 60 stakeholders from the Health, Education and Women and Child Development (WCD) departments to strengthen coordination and community engagement around HPV vaccination.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Theyo said Nagaland is committed to ensuring that adolescent girls and their families have access to accurate, trusted information on HPV vaccination so they can make informed decisions about their health.
He said strengthening awareness requires close coordination across the Health, Education and WCD departments, along with meaningful engagement with schools, communities and frontline workers, and added that the collaboration with Girl Effect India through Teeka Talk will bring credible, youth-friendly information closer to girls and families across the state.
State Immunization Officer, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Imkongtemsu Longchar said cervical cancer remains an important public health concern for women in India, but vaccination offers an opportunity to prevent the HPV infections that cause most cervical cancers.
He said ensuring that adolescent girls and their families have the right information at the right time is an important part of building confidence in HPV vaccination in Nagaland, and encouraged parents and caregivers to support eligible girls in receiving the HPV vaccine at the recommended age.
Director, Girl Effect India, Kavita Ayyagari said questions about a vaccine can be natural for parents and adolescent girls, particularly when it is new to them, and Teeka Talk aims to make trusted information on HPV vaccination easier to access and understand through schools, communities, parent engagement and digital platforms.
She noted that in a state like Nagaland, where communities are diverse and many families live across geographically dispersed areas, reaching people with information in formats and languages that work for them is especially important, and said the initiative aims to help girls and their families feel confident and supported in making decisions about HPV vaccination.
The Teeka Talk Nagaland launch marks a step forward in strengthening coordinated communication and engagement around HPV vaccination. Perspectives from Kohima and Dimapur districts informed the discussions on implementation, while representatives from the Health, Education and WCD departments discussed opportunities to strengthen outreach across communities.
The next phase will focus on coordinated implementation across departments and districts, with a focus on school, parent and community engagement and ensuring that eligible adolescent girls and their families can access trusted information about HPV vaccination.
The Government of Nagaland is providing free HPV vaccination to girls aged 14 years at government health facilities. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, with 78,499 women diagnosed and 42,392 lives lost (NCRP–ICMR, 2024).
Teeka Talk strengthens this effort by enabling informed conversations on HPV vaccination across schools, communities and families. Its WhatsApp-based chatbot provides parents clear, credible information and answers to common questions about HPV vaccination and cervical cancer.
Teeka Talk is a Girl Effect India initiative that supports HPV vaccination awareness and informed decision-making among adolescents, parents and communities through school and community engagement and its WhatsApp chatbot, complementing India’s effort to safeguard the health of young girls.
Girl Effect India is an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to unlocking the potential of adolescent girls and young women in Asia and Africa, connecting them with life-changing information, digital tools and trusted support to advance their health, education and economic opportunities.
Girl Effect has been working in India since 2019 on adolescent health and wellbeing, designing social and behaviour change programmes that leverage media, mobile technology and AI-powered platforms on immunization, adolescent health, mental wellbeing, online gender-based violence, anaemia and sexual and reproductive health.
Its flagship digital interventions include ‘Bol Behen’, an award-winning AI-powered chatbot, and ‘ChhaaJaa’, a youth-facing digital platform, while its signature on-ground programmes include the Gully youth labs and Tipi Tipi Talk.
