ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has received the complete supply of cervical cancer vaccines for its first-ever nationwide immunization campaign, health officials said on Wednesday.
The campaign, supported by Gavi, WHO and UNICEF, aims to protect schoolgirls aged 9 to 14 against one of the country’s most prevalent cancers.
The UN health agency, UNICEF, has delivered the final shipment of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, completing a total of 13 million doses, along with an equal number of 0.3 ml syringes, according to health officials. The vaccines and syringes, worth PKR 10 billion, were donated by the global health alliance Gavi.
The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, Jhpiego, and development partners, has launched the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Campaign in Islamabad and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, aiming to protect future generations of Pakistani women from cervical cancer through prevention and vaccination.
The nationwide initiative was formally announced at a media briefing themed “Protecting Girls, Preventing Cancer” held in Islamabad.
The countrywide anti-cervical cancer vaccination campaign will run from September 15 to 27, targeting school-going girls between the ages of 9 and 14.
Health officials announced that the vaccination campaign will be carried out through fixed sites, community health centres, and mobile units to ensure wide accessibility.
Additionally, school health teams will administer the HPV vaccine directly in educational institutions to reach as many eligible girls as possible.
Each child will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of cervical cancer.
Although the disease remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, it is highly preventable through vaccination.
To raise awareness among parents, the campaign will use voice messages and other communication tools to highlight the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with around 660,000 new cases and around 350,000 deaths in 2022.
It can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly. As per the WHO recommendations, women should be screened for cervical cancer every 5–10 years starting at age 30.
Pakistan faces an alarming burden of cervical cancer, with around 5,008 women diagnosed annually and more than 3,000 deaths, making it the third most common cancer among women of all ages and the second most common among women of reproductive age.
Globally, HPV types 16 and 18 account for nearly 70% of cervical cancer cases, which the vaccine can effectively prevent.
