The Health Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to start the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign to prevent cervical cancer in November this year to protect women from the deadly disease.
Cervical cancer originates in the cells of the lower part of a woman’s uterus, called the cervix. The main cause of this cancer is infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).
In the early stages, it usually does not show any obvious symptoms, hence it is also called the silent killer.
According to the Health Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during this campaign, all eligible girls between the ages of 9 and 14 will be given this valuable vaccine for free, for which a total of 29 lakh girls have been vaccinated across the province.
According to the guidelines of the health department, to achieve the target, 1.6 lakh girls will be vaccinated in various educational institutions and schools, while 1.3 lakh out-of-school girls will be vaccinated at the community level.
A high-level steering committee headed by Secretary Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been set up to conduct the campaign in accordance with prevailing laws and with best security.
DG Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has appealed to parents and teachers to ensure timely vaccination of girls, as HPV vaccine is the most effective and safest way to prevent cervical cancer.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Every year, more than 660,000 women suffer from this disease worldwide and about 350,000 deaths are recorded.
It is also one of the deadliest cancers in women in Pakistan. Every year, thousands of women in the country suffer from it, and the death rate is alarming due to lack of timely diagnosis and vaccination.
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