Cervical cancer causes more than 3,000 deaths and over 5,000 new cases annually in Pakistan
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department will launch a province-wide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in November 2026, targeting around 2.9 million girls aged 9 to 14 years, said a handout.
According to the statement, the campaign aimed at curbing cervical cancer, which causes more than 3,000 deaths and over 5,000 new cases annually in Pakistan.
It stated the health department free vaccination drive, the first of its kind in the province, aims to protect both school-going and out-of-school girls against one of the world’s most preventable cancers.
The province-wide catch-up vaccination campaign will provide the HPV vaccine free of charge to all eligible girls aged 9-14 years. Of the estimated 2.9 million beneficiaries, around 1.6 million are school-going girls, while approximately 1.3 million are out of school.
To maximise coverage, the department has adopted two vaccination strategies. School-going girls will receive the vaccine through sessions conducted at public and private educational institutions, while out-of-school girls will be vaccinated through community outreach sessions, mobile vaccination teams serving hard-to-reach areas and fixed vaccination centres at public health facilities.
The health department has established a comprehensive coordination mechanism for the campaign.
A Provincial Steering Committee, headed by the Secretary Health, has been formed to provide strategic oversight, while a Technical Committee, chaired by the Director General Health Services, will supervise planning, implementation and inter-departmental coordination.
Officials from the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Higher Education Department, Private Schools Regulatory Authority, Auqaf Department, Social Welfare Department, Local Government Department and Information Department have been assigned responsibilities to support implementation. Provincial and district focal persons have also been nominated to ensure coordination throughout the campaign.
Leading professional organisations, including the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Pakistan (SOGP) and the Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA), have also been engaged to provide technical support and strengthen public confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
Director General Health Services Dr Shaheen Afridi urged parents, teachers, community leaders and religious scholars to actively support the campaign, describing the HPV vaccine as a safe and effective means of providing long-term protection against the virus responsible for most cervical cancer cases.
She said the introduction of the HPV vaccine marked a major milestone in public health and represented a significant investment in protecting the health and future of girls across the province.
