Pakistan is preparing to introduce HPV vaccination nationwide in 2025 using the single-dose bivalent Cecolin vaccine. The program will start with a one-time multi-age cohort campaign for girls aged 9–14, followed by routine immunization of 9-year-old girls. Over 69 million women are at risk of cervical cancer, with around 5,000 new cases and 3,000 deaths […]
Region: Middle East & North Africa
Cancer registries – data collection, challenges and steps to strengthen registries and improve cervical cancer data collection – Pakistan
Pakistan’s first cancer registry was established in the 1960s at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Rawalpindi. From the 1970s to 1990s, the Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) created the National Cancer Registry (NCR). A population-based registry in Karachi (1995–2007) led by Yasmin Bhurgri shared data with IARC and WHO. The Punjab Cancer […]
Planning Roadmap towards HPV Vaccination Introduction
The presentation from Pakistan outlines the preparatory work for introducing HPV vaccination into the national immunization program, which is not yet implemented despite significant disease burden. Cervical cancer ranks as one of the top causes of female mortality, with 5,000–7,000 new cases annually. A national roadmap was mandated by the Ministry of Health and EPI, […]
HPV Vaccination Programmes – Lessons Learned and Planning – Q&A Session
This Q&A followed the session “HPV Vaccination Programs: Peer Exchange on Lessons Learned from Planning and Introduction.” Participants raised practical questions to speakers from Sikkim, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan on key aspects of HPV vaccine rollout: consent models, management of out-of-school adolescents, and integration with existing health or school platforms. Discussions addressed global supply challenges, […]
HPV related disease burden, mortality, social and economic impact – Pakistan
Dr. Fauzia Assad highlighted the country’s medium‑to‑high cervical cancer burden, with an estimated 5,000 new cases and 3,000 deaths annually among 68 million women at risk. Pakistan lacks a central cancer registry, national screening program, and formal cervical cancer policy, though political commitment for HPV vaccine introduction is emerging. Screening is limited to opportunistic Pap […]
Cervical cancer screening in Pakistan
Pakistan faces significant challenges in cervical cancer prevention, including the absence of a national cancer registry, limited screening services, and lack of HPV vaccine availability in the public sector. Current data are hospital-based, underestimating true incidence, with cervical cancer ranking as the third leading cause of female cancer deaths. Screening remains opportunistic and largely confined […]