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 smears, mostly in the private sector, and awareness among women and health professionals remains low. Key challenges include fragmented data, supply‑side gaps, and social stigma, but recent immunization successes suggest strong system capacity. Plans are underway to integrate HPV vaccination and scale up screening toward WHO’s 90‑70‑90 elimination targets.

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Media: Video