Govt launches HPV vaccination drive for girls aged 9-14 amid cervical cancer surge

In response to the alarming rise in cervical cancer cases among women, the government of Pakistan has decided to introduce the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine nationwide. According to Ministry of Health sources, a vaccination campaign will be conducted from September 15 to 27, targeting girls aged 9 to 14 years.

The HPV vaccine will be administered at fixed sites, community centres, mobile units, and schools. 

Furthermore, the sources said it will be included in the country’s routine immunisation programme, with 9-year-old girls receiving the vaccine regularly.

The government aims to vaccinate 18 million girls under this initiative. The vaccine, provided with support from Gavi, costs between Rs4,000 to Rs7,000 in the private sector.

According to experts, over 5,000 women in the country are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, with more than 3,000 succumbing to the disease.

Read: Cervical cancer claims lives of over 3,000 Pakistani women annually

The figures were revealed in a meeting of the HPV technical working group (HPV-TWG), last year, hosted by the Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI), Sindh.

The participants were informed that cervical cancer ranked as the third most frequent cancer among women in Pakistan and the second most frequent cancer among women aged between 15 and 44.

At least 68.6 million in Pakistan were aged 15 years or older and were at risk of developing cervical cancer.

According to statistics, at least 5,008 women were diagnosed with cancer annually of which 3,197 died from the disease in the country.