KARACHI: Medical experts have suggested that boosting public awareness and access to information and services, including vaccination, are key to the prevention of cervical cancer which is detected in over 5,000 women every year in Pakistan.

At a meeting held to discuss the strategic rollout of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Sindh on Monday, experts shared that more than 3,000 women of the 5,000 plus died of cervical cancer.

The meeting of the HPV technical working group (HPV-TWG) was 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 between 15 and 44 years of age.

Public awareness, health services key to prevention of disease, say health experts

Pakistan, it was stated, had a population of 68.6 million women aged 15 years and older who were at risk of developing cervical cancer.

Current estimates, it was pointed out, indicated that every year 5,008 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,197 died from the disease in the country.

Prophylactic vaccination against the HPV, and screening and treatment of pre-cancer lesions were effective strategies to prevent cervical cancer, which were also very cost-effective, experts said.

In his remarks, HPV-TWG secretary Dr Sohail Raza Shaikh highlighted the significance of introducing a vaccine for the HPV that affected younger women more.

Dr Khalid Shafi, chair of the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, spoke about the challenges in getting local prevalence data and recommended a bivalent vaccine for different age groups.

Senior gynaecologist Dr Sadiah Ahsan Pal provided insights into previous awareness programmes and shared important features of the upcoming HPV vaccine launch.

In his remarks, project director EPI Dr Muhammad Naeem, who also chaired the meeting, highlighted that Sindh was the first province to lead the preparatory work for the HPV introduction. He urged all stakeholders, including doctors, especially gynaecologists, to raise awareness.

“Sindh EPI will develop a comprehensive plan and communication strategy to ensure the proper rollout of the HPV vaccine,” he said, adding that the phase one of the project was funded by GAVI whereas the second phase would be co-shared by the government and partners.

The audience was informed that the project was approved by the chief minister with a three-year cost plan. The federal approval for piloting the project in selected districts, including Sindh, had been granted. The rollout would target both school-going and out-of-school children.

The attendees included Dr Amjad Ansari from Unicef, Dr Badar Munir and Dr Waqar Soomro from the WHO, Dr Ahsan Burghari from the EPI, Dr Tasleem Khamesani from the Interactive Research and Development, Dr Zafar from HANDS and Ahmad Zaid from Jhpiego, a non-profit health organisation.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024