Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir announced that the province has extended its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive until Wednesday to achieve 100 percent coverage.
Pakistan launched the nationwide campaign earlier this month to protect adolescent girls from cervical cancer. However, health officials continue to face resistance fueled by misinformation and mistrust.
Nazir said Punjab has reached a 72 percent success rate so far. Speaking on Geo News’ Geo Pakistan, he clarified that the campaign has not ended but will continue for three more days.
He also highlighted the financial benefit of timely vaccination. Girls aged 9 to 14 will receive the HPV vaccine for free during this campaign. Afterward, families will need to pay, and only 9-year-old girls will still qualify for free doses.
Security incidents have added challenges. In Mandi Bahauddin, attackers targeted female health workers. Police arrested the suspects and increased security. In another case, a 55-year-old man entered a school and attempted to assault a female health supervisor during vaccination duty.
Resistance was high in the beginning, with only 250,000 girls vaccinated on day one. After counselling campaigns, refusals dropped from 300,000 to 90,000.
Nazir reported that more than 5.2 million girls have been immunised so far. The province aims to reach 7.2 million by Wednesday, and he expressed confidence that Punjab will meet this goal with the extended timeline.
Punjab Extends HPV Vaccine Drive to Reach 100% Coverage
