Pakistan is launching its first-ever cervical cancer prevention vaccine drive this month, and doctors and government officials are pushing to make it a success. In August, the WHO announced that it is partnering with the Government of Pakistan to train over 49,000 health workers for the country’s first HPV vaccine drive, planned from 15-27 September. The campaign is being described as a “historic milestone,” and is set to target 13 million girls aged 9- 14 years across Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad Capital Territory, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. According to infectious diseases epidemiologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi, Dr Muslima Ejaz, the initiative is important because it targets adolescent girls, a group often left out of health interventions. If Sindh succeeds, it can become a model for scaling up across other provinces. “This campaign is not only about vaccination, it’s about building systems, community trust, and a roadmap for integrating HPV into routine immunisation,” she said.