Millions of parents 'refuse' HPV vaccination during nationwide campaign

ISLAMABAD: The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign has faced widespread resistance, with over 3.6 million parents declining to have their daughters vaccinated, sources revealed to ARY News on Tuesday.

According to available figures, 3,641,132 refusals were recorded across the country during the anti-cervical cancer drive.

Punjab accounted for the highest number, with 2,561,346 parents rejecting the vaccine.

In Sindh, 854,150 refusals were reported, while Azad Kashmir recorded 156,868 cases of refusal. In Islamabad, 68,768 parents refused the HPV vaccination.

Despite this resistance, the campaign managed to vaccinate more than 7.7 million girls against HPV. The original target was to administer the vaccine to 11,729,787 girls nationwide.

The anti-HPV drive, aimed at preventing cervical cancer, was carried out between 15 and 27 September.

The Pakistan government has extended the duration of the national cervical cancer prevention campaign after provinces reported falling short of vaccination targets.

According to officials, Punjab, Sindh, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad have extended their HPV vaccination campaigns.

The Sindh government has already decided to prolong its campaign by three days, pushing the deadline to September 30.

In Islamabad, health authorities are considering extending the campaign by three to seven days, while Punjab and Azad Kashmir are also expected to grant extensions within the same range.

The historic nationwide HPV campaign — the first of its kind in Pakistan — was initially launched from September 15 to 27, aiming to vaccinate more than 11.7 million girls.