CHITRAL: A comprehensive 15-day vaccination campaign targeting cervical cancer is scheduled to be launched across Lower Chitral from today (November 11) to November 25, health authorities announced.
The mega-drive aims to vaccinate 22,000 girls aged between 9 and 15 to protect them against the deadly disease. Briefing the media at Chitral Press Club, Deputy District Health Officer Dr Irshad Ahmed and Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) District Coordinator Dr Farman Nizar Khan shared the strategic blueprint of the campaign.
To ensure 100 per cent coverage, the Health Department has constituted 26 specialised mobile teams across the district. These teams will systematically cover all government and private schools, as well as religious seminaries, which collectively account for approximately 95 per cent of the enrolled target population. Simultaneously, an intensive door-to-door campaign will be conducted to identify and reach out-of-school girls and those missed during institutional visits, ensuring that no child is left unprotected.
Health officials highlighted that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has now been formally integrated into Pakistan’s national EPI network as the 14th vaccine-preventable disease and this specific drive focuses on girls over 9 years old who have not yet received the injection.
Warning of the severity of the illness, the medical experts noted that cervical cancer ranks as the third most prevalent and fatal cancer among women worldwide, claiming millions of lives annually while developed nations initiated mass vaccination as early as 1995, Pakistan formally launched its national rollout in 2025.
Addressing scepticism and misinformation circulating on social media, health officials categorically dismissed concerns regarding the vaccine’s safety and religious permissibility.
They clarified that Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, incorporated the vaccine into their national healthcare frameworks as early as 2010. They further stated that leading Islamic scholars and religious authorities, both internationally and within Pakistan, had reviewed its medical credentials and issued formal religious rulings (fatwas) declaring it permissible (halal).
The administration urged parents, educators and members of civil society to extend their full cooperation to the visiting vaccination teams and play an active role in ensuring the campaign’s success.
Officials also highlighted the vaccine’s high cost in the private market, where a single dose can cost up to Rs42,000, placing it beyond the financial reach of many ordinary citizens. They emphasised that the government is making this potentially life-saving vaccine available completely free of charge, providing an important opportunity to protect children without placing a financial burden on families.
Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2026
