MERF at the Forefront of Cervical Cancer Prevention

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙋𝙑 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙆𝙝𝙮𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙠𝙝𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙝𝙬𝙖

Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — A three-day HPV SBC Planning Workshop was held in Peshawar, bringing together key stakeholders to strengthen efforts for the introduction and uptake of the HPV vaccine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the aim of preventing cervical cancer.

The workshop was attended by Special Secretary Health, Additional Secretary Health, Director General Health KP, Director EPI, EPI Coordinators, officials from the Health and Education Departments, district administration, partners from FDI, UNICEF, Gavi, civil society organizations, academia, and representatives from MERF.

Speakers reaffirmed the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s commitment to improving public health through immunization and emphasized that the introduction of the HPV vaccine is a critical step toward protecting future generations of women by vaccinating adolescent girls aged 9 to 14 years against cervical cancer.

Participants highlighted that generating strong community demand and addressing misconceptions are essential for the successful introduction of the HPV vaccine, drawing important lessons from the first phase of HPV vaccination campaigns implemented in 2025 across the Federal Capital, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab, and Sindh.

MERF, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and in collaboration with EPI AJK and local CSO partners Aiming Change for Tomorrow (ACT) and Community Services Program (CSP), has actively contributed to HPV vaccine demand generation and community engagement efforts in AJK. These efforts have reached millions of people, particularly women and girls, raising awareness on cervical cancer prevention and promoting HPV vaccination as part of routine immunization services.

Together, partnerships, community engagement and strong health systems can help protect future generations from cervical cancer.