Over 49,000 Pakistani health workers trained by WHO will mobilize in an ambitious immunization drive targeting girls aged 9 to 14 across Punjab Sindh Islamabad and Pakistan-administered Kashmir This historic campaign marks Pakistan’s first large-scale effort with WHO-prequalified HPV vaccine to protect 13 million adolescent girls from cervical cancer

The government has joined more than 150 countries that include this vaccine in their immunization schedules The first phase will aim for at least ninety percent coverage of eligible girls and will use fixed centres schools outreach sites and mobile vaccination teams to reach rural and underserved communities

The HPV vaccine is provided free to all eligible girls The campaign will be followed by rollout efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026 and Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal urged parents not to be swayed by misinformation He emphasized that the vaccine is safe effective and essential for protecting young lives

The HPV vaccine initiative is part of Pakistan’s commitment to the World Health Assembly goal to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem and will strengthen the national immunization system with long-term benefits for women’s health