Health minister publicly has daughter vaccinated to demonstrate HPV vaccine’s safety.

 In order to demonstrate the vaccine's safety, the health minister has her daughter vaccinated in public.

Health worker vaccinating the daughter of Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, September 20, 2025.

KARACHI: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal gave his daughter the Human Papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) on Saturday in front of representatives of the media in Karachi, demonstrating emphatically that the vaccination is completely risk-free. Health officials emphasised that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Pakistan, claiming thousands of lives each year, primarily due to late detection. 

The event marked the launch of Pakistan s first nationwide cervical cancer vaccination campaign.  I want to demonstrate to parents in Pakistan that this vaccine is safe and essential to the health of our daughters. Kamal told reporters at the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) office that Pakistan has become the 151st nation to take this crucial step. More than 150 countries have already implemented it.

The goal of the campaign, which runs from September 15 to September 27, is to immunize girls between the ages of 9 and 14 in schools and communities all over the country. The minister urged all parents to come forward, describing the vaccine as a shield for their children s future health.

Addressing false claims circulating on social media and other platforms, Kamal said Harmful propaganda is being spread about this vaccine. Rumors should not be believed, according to me. I wanted to make it clear that this vaccine is completely safe by vaccinating my own daughter. He emphasized that the most efficient means of reducing this burden is through vaccination prevention. Not only do we want to save lives, but we also want to shield families from suffering. Prevention is always better than cure, he said.

 The Ministry of National Health Services, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi, and other partner organizations are assisting in the implementation of the vaccination drive. In order to guarantee widespread vaccination, Lady Health Workers and mobile vaccination teams have been deployed. Kamal reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to eliminating cervical cancer through public education and prevention, describing the launch as a significant event in women's health.

Over 60 million girls across the world have been vaccinated against HPV with Gavi support to date. Today’s vaccine introduction will build on this progress and contribute towards the Alliance’s goal of reaching 86 million girls living in lower-income countries by the end of 2025, helping to prevent over 1.4 million future deaths from cervical cancer.