On August 24, 2025, preparations for Pakistan’s first-ever national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, set for September 15 to 27, are underway, targeting girls aged 9-14 across Punjab, Sindh, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad to protect millions from cervical cancer, a preventable yet deadly disease.
The campaign, supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and GAVI, focuses on school-going girls in public and private schools, with registration already in progress. Health officials are deploying fixed vaccination sites, community centres, and mobile units to ensure accessibility, while school-based vaccinations will streamline delivery. Each girl will receive a single-dose HPV vaccine, proven to reduce cervical cancer risk by 90% by age 15, per WHO data.
In September, Pakistan will introduce the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect 13 million girls from cervical cancer.@WHO asked stakeholders and individuals "Why is the #HPV vaccine important for Pakistan?" See the answer of a young student 👇 pic.twitter.com/8Hst6605nf
— WHO Pakistan (@WHOPakistan) August 22, 2025To address cultural barriers and myths, such as vaccines causing infertility, the campaign includes voice message alerts to parents, highlighting the vaccine’s safety and benefits, per UNICEF Pakistan. This follows a WHO-led study reporting 1,580 cervical cancer cases in Pakistan from 2021-2023, underscoring the disease’s burden, with 5,000 new cases and 3,200 deaths annually.
Cervical cancer, Pakistan’s third most common cancer among women, claims 64% of diagnosed lives due to late detection. The campaign, targeting 13 million girls, aligns with WHO’s 2030 goal of 90% vaccination coverage for girls by age 15. Dr. Soofia Yunus, Federal Directorate of Immunisation, called it “an investment in our daughters’ future,” per Arab News.
With plans to extend the campaign to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026 and Balochistan in 2027, Pakistan aims to integrate HPV vaccination into routine immunisation.
