Pakistan Launches First National Cervical Cancer Vaccination Campaign

Pakistan has launched its first-ever national cervical cancer prevention campaign on Monday. The campaign will run from September 15 to 27, targeting girls between the ages of 9 and 14 in Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad, and Azad Kashmir. Officials said the campaign aims to vaccinate 13 million girls with a single dose of the HPV vaccine.

The federal and provincial governments, along with Azad Kashmir, have already received supplies of the vaccines and syringes. The vaccines will be available at public and private girls’ schools, madrassas, community centers, and through mobile vaccination units. This effort will ensure that girls across these regions are protected against cervical cancer.

Punjab has received 8.8 million doses of the vaccine, while Sindh has received 4 million doses. Azad Kashmir and Islamabad have been supplied with 349,000 and 152,000 doses, respectively. The vaccines and syringes, worth Rs 10 billion, were provided by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Pakistan plans to continue this initiative in three phases. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will begin its vaccination campaign in 2026, followed by Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027. Gavi will provide the HPV vaccines free of cost for all phases of the rollout.

Officials also confirmed that the HPV vaccine will eventually be integrated into Pakistan’s routine immunization program. This will ensure that all girls up to the age of nine receive the vaccine in future campaigns. The government will procure the vaccine directly for these future efforts.