MIRPUR (Kashmir English): Mirpur District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain Raja has said that human Papillomaviruses stands as a special type of virus that spreads among women.
“The human Papillomaviruses-affected women later mostly suffer cancer,” Dr. Fida warned. He expressed these views while addressing a seminar organised at the District Health Office to provide awareness to the media and other stakeholders regarding HPV vaccination.
The DHO disclosed on this occasion that a vaccine has been invented to prevent this life-threatening virus. He continued that women who use this vaccine are protected from this cancer.
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer causes women to die and they are not even able to become mothers. To prevent this disease, HPV vaccination has been being carried out in developed countries since 2005, due to which the deaths of women suffering from cervical cancer are negligible.
In Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir, girls between the ages of 9 and 14 were vaccinated free of charge in September last year under the auspices of the State Health Department, while from January 2026, the vaccine has been made mandatory for 9-year-old girls to prevent cervical cancer.
The authorities have appealed to public to get their 9-year-old girls vaccinated with HPV vaccine so that this disease can be eradicated.
The session was organized by MERF, a partner of the Public Health Department, in which the District Health Officer briefed all the stakeholders about the efficacy and importance of HPV vaccination.
The session was also attended by Senior Vice President of District Bar Association Ms. Asma Majeed, General Secretary District Bar Council Mirpur Muhammad Fayyaz Chaudhry, APMO Dr. Fatima Yaqoob, Assistant Coordinator National Program Dr. Faria Javed, Information Officer Javed Malik, President of Private Schools and Colleges Association Mirza Wajahat Baig, Deputy District Education Officer Zubaida Zaman, and others.
The participants were briefed through multimedia on HPV vaccine and human papillomavirus by HPV Focal Person Muhammad Riaz. After which, a question-and-answer session was held in which District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain Raja gave detailed answers to the questions of the participants.
The District Health Officer emphasized that the present era is the era of media and in this regard, people associated with print, electronic and social media should play their full role in the cervical cancer prevention campaign by the AJK Health Department so that this disease could be eradicated.
The DHO said that the cervical cancer prevention vaccine has no side effects. This vaccine must be administered to 9-year-old girls. He said that this vaccine is administered at a high cost all over the world, while the Public Health Department of Azad Jammu Kashmir has started a campaign to purchase this vaccine and administer it free of charge.
