The school WhatsApp group was buzzing again, birthday cakes, missing water bottles, exam worries. In the middle of the usual chatter, a new message appeared: “Did you hear about the HPV vaccine campaign? I’m not sure… maybe I will wait and see what other parents do.” Almost instantly, another mother responded: “I have heard of it, but I need to understand more before deciding.” These simple exchanges, typed casually between school runs and lunch packing, reflect something far bigger happening across Pakistan: many parents are unsure. Not because they distrust the vaccine, but because they don’t have enough information to feel confident.
As the conversation continued, one mother admitted, “I didn’t know this vaccine prevents cancer,” while another asked, “Why don’t we hear more about this?” Their questions echo across countless homes. The HPV vaccine has been available worldwide for years, yet cultural silence around women’s health, limited public messaging and gaps in healthcare access mean that families often remain unaware of preventive tools.
Cervical cancer develops slowly and quietly, but the HPV vaccine – safe, effective and globally recommended – can stop it long before it begins. Many countries have already slashed cervical cancer rates through strong vaccination and screening programmes, and Pakistan is now taking its first major step in that direction with support from JHPIEGO, Gavi, WHO, UNICEF and others. The government has launched its first nationwide HPV vaccination campaign, offering free protection to millions of girls aged 9 to 14.
Back in the WhatsApp group, the mood shifted when one mother forwarded a short message from a health worker explaining the vaccine in simple, reassuring language, and suddenly the thread changed direction. “If this protects our daughters, we should understand it properly,” one mother wrote. Another added, “I will ask the teacher tomorrow.”
What began as hesitation gradually turned into curiosity and then into readiness – a quiet transformation happening on phone screens and in living rooms across the country. This is exactly what Pakistan needs. Reducing cervical cancer requires community engagement, stigma reduction, stronger screening services and accessible care for all women not just girls in school today.
Pakistan has taken an important first step, but sustaining momentum depends on the very places where this story unfolded: school chats, neighbourhood discussions, parent groups, and everyday exchanges where mothers guide decisions for their families. When correct information enters these spaces, uncertainty fades and protection becomes possible. The tools exist. The solutions are known. When families are informed and communities are empowered, no woman in Pakistan should ever lose her future or her life to a cancer we already know how to stop.
Dr Zainab Samad and Dilshad Baig
Karachi
