PESHAWAR: Health department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has expedited preparations for the 12-day HPV campaign targeting about three million girls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to safeguard them against cervical cancer.

Oncologists said that the drive, to begin on Nov 2, would reduce risk of cervical cancer by 90pc. They said that the vaccine was safe for girls. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has more than 2.9 million girls including 1.6 million in schools and 1.3 million in communities.

“This vaccine is being used since 2006-2007 in developed countries. It is mostly given to girls of nine to 14 years, although it is available for up to 26 years of age in some countries. More than 160 countries around the world are offering this vaccine to their young generation free of cost,” Prof Abid Jamil, the former head of oncology department at Hayatabad Medical Complex, told this scribe.

He said that Pakistan had also joined that important initiative. The vaccination, started around 20 years ago, protected women against cancer, he said.

Prof Abid, also a former health minister, said that government was offering the vaccine free of cost. “People must utilise this opportunity to prevent at least one cancer in their children,” he added.

In Abbottabad, a preparatory meeting on operational training for vaccinators, assistants and social mobilisers began on Thursday at divisional health development centre (DHDC). Focus of the meeting remained on how to tackle misconceptions during the campaign.

Dr Mohammad Saleem, the director general of Provincial Health Services Academy, underlined the importance of advocacy, effective communication, social mobilisation and interpersonal communication skills to ensure effective community engagement and success of the campaign.

Dr Saleem Khan Yousafzai, the deputy director of DHDC, said that wrong beliefs held by people shouldn’t affect the campaign. “We have to convince those, who refuse vaccination,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2026