Pakistan: Punjab launches HPV vaccination drive targeting 8 million girls amid challenges in flood-hit areas

Punjab Launches HPV Vaccine Drive to Fight Cervical Cancer in Girls

Health teams in Punjab, Pakistan, are gearing up for a big push to vaccinate girls against the human papillomavirus (HPV). This new routine immunization program aims to tackle cervical cancer, a major health threat for women in the country. But recent floods and heavy rains have made the job tougher, especially for reaching out-of-school girls in hard-hit areas.

The campaign kicks off today, September 15, and will run until September 27. It’s targeting girls aged 9 to 14, with a goal to vaccinate over 8 million in total. About 5.5 million of them are in schools, but the real challenge lies in vaccinating 2.5 million girls who don’t attend school. Floods have wrecked school buildings in many parts of Punjab, leaving marginalized communities like nomadic groups, migrants, and those in red-light areas even harder to reach.

This effort ties into a global mission to wipe out cervical cancer. Pakistan joined the 2018 World Health Assembly resolution, which sets bold targets by 2030: vaccinate 90% of girls against HPV by age 15, screen 70% of women for cervical cancer by ages 35 and 45, and ensure 90% of diagnosed women get treatment or care. In Pakistan, cervical cancer ranks as the third most common cancer among women overall and second for those aged 15 to 44, according to World Health Organization data.

Punjab’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has wrapped up its preparations. Director Samra Khurram shared with Dawn that they’re deploying 6,277 outreach teams and more than 13,000 social mobilizers to make this happen. "A lot of girls are out of school, so we’ve created special plans for remote and underserved spots," she said. Teams will set up kit stations at community leaders’ homes, local mosques (hujras), and lady health workers’ houses.

For high-risk groups, mobile and special teams are hitting prisons, orphanages, fields, markets, transport hubs, and informal settlements. Civil society groups are pitching in to connect with tough-to-reach communities. Khurram pointed out that this HPV vaccine drive is different from the usual EPI program, which covers 12 diseases for kids under five. "HPV targets older girls aged 9 to 14, and there’s often fear of injections. Explaining the science to young kids isn’t easy," she added.

The vaccine is a single dose, given free for the first time in over a decade—previously, it was only available at pricey private clinics. Trained health workers like vaccinators, lady health visitors, and nurses will handle the shots. Punjab has drawn lessons from over 144 countries already using HPV vaccines, including neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to fine-tune their plans.

This HPV vaccination campaign in Pakistan could be a game-changer in preventing cervical cancer, bringing hope to millions of families amid the post-flood recovery.

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