ISLAMABAD, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Minister of State for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath said that the country's ongoing cervical cancer vaccination drive is not just a health campaign, but a promise of a healthier future for women in the South Asian country.
"The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is safe, free, and available to every eligible girl. By protecting their health today, we are safeguarding their education, their future, and their ability to contribute to society," he said during an event on Wednesday.
He said that cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women in Pakistan, with two out of three women diagnosed not surviving, adding that the HPV vaccine is effective and scientifically proven, preventing more deaths per person vaccinated than any other immunization.
The minister said that Pakistan's HPV vaccination initiative is aligned with the World Health Organization's Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, which aims to vaccinate 90 percent of girls worldwide against HPV by 2030.
In Pakistan, he said the campaign has been launched and to be executed in three phases, with eastern Punjab and southern Sindh being covered in the first phase, and the drive will be expanded to northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwest Balochistan provinces in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
"The target is to vaccinate 90 percent of girls aged 9-14 years in the phase 1 regions by the end of 2025, and to sustain this through routine immunization in the coming years," he added. ■
