HPV vaccines have stirred the bee's hornet as no other vaccine has in the recent past on account of the controversies involving the HPV vaccine trials in India. The prescriptions of the recent draft ‘National Vaccine Policy’ have further complicated the decision making regarding the introduction of HPV vaccine in India on a regular basis. Under these difficult circumstances this paper seeks to present a clear epidemiological understanding of the issues involved to facilitate a scientific decision regarding the use of HPV vaccine in tackling the public health problem of carcinoma cervix.
