Pakistan to launch first nationwide cervical cancer vaccination drive tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Preparations have been finalized for Pakistan’s first-ever national cervical cancer prevention campaign, which is set to begin tomorrow (Monday), ARY News reported.

According to officials, the vaccination drive will run from September 15 to 27 across Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad, and Azad Kashmir.

The federal and provincial governments, along with Azad Kashmir, have already been supplied with HPV vaccines and syringes.

A total of 13 million girls between the ages of 9 and 14 will be administered a single dose of the HPV vaccine during the campaign.

The vaccines will be available in public and private girls’ schools, madrassas, fixed sites, community centers, and through mobile vaccination units.

Sources said Punjab has received 8.8 million doses, Sindh 4 million doses, Azad Kashmir 349,000 doses, and Islamabad 152,000 doses.

The vaccines and syringes, worth Rs 10 billion, were provided to Pakistan by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The HPV vaccination rollout will be completed in three phases: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026, and Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027. Gavi will continue to provide vaccines free of cost for all phases.

Officials confirmed that Pakistan plans to integrate the HPV vaccine into its routine immunization program, ensuring vaccination for all girls up to the age of nine. For future campaigns, the government will procure the vaccine directly.