RAS question
India's first indigenous vaccine for cervical cancer prevention is:
Correct answer: (B) CERVAVAC.
CERVAVAC is India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Explanation
CERVAVAC is the answer because the Press Information Bureau announcement identifies it as India’s first indigenously developed vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer. It is a quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine developed by Serum Institute of India, targeting HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. This matters for public health because cervical cancer is largely preventable, ranks as the second most prevalent cancer among women in India, and HPV vaccination is described as the most promising intervention for prevention. For RAS, the key is to connect the brand name CERVAVAC with indigenous vaccine development, HPV, and cervical cancer prevention.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rotavac is not a cervical-cancer vaccine; it targets rotavirus diarrhoea, not Human Papillomavirus or cervical cancer prevention.
- (C) Covaxin does not match the disease target here because it is a COVID-19 vaccine, not an HPV vaccine for cervical cancer prevention.
- (D) Typhoid conjugate vaccine is ruled out because its disease target is typhoid, while the asked vaccine is the indigenous qHPV vaccine linked to cervical cancer prevention.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology current-affairs link between indigenous vaccine development and disease prevention. It recurs in RAS because vaccine names, target diseases and Indian institutional achievements are frequently asked as direct factual pairs.