The recent assaults on HPV vaccination teams in Punjab and Sindh expose a troubling reality where health workers, who should be celebrated as protectors of public wellbeing, are instead being targeted for their efforts. Two attacks within the span of three days not only put innocent lives at risk but also derailed a critical nationwide campaign aimed at protecting young girls against cervical cancer.
These incidents are not isolated acts of aggression. They are symptoms of a deeper social malaise that hinges on misinformation, mistrust and misguided narratives. A combination of unfounded claims about the vaccine and state institutions’ inability to curtail them in a manner that resonated with communities eventually led to this larger ruckus of extremism.
For years, polio campaigns have faced similar challenges. Now the same patterns threaten the HPV initiative, which aims to immunise 90 per cent of girls aged 9 to 14 this year. Each disrupted drive widens the gap between health goals and reality, leaving thousands of children unprotected.
The government’s promises of protection ring hollow when vaccinators report being abandoned to threats and intimidation. While the recent cases of assault have been registered under the Pakistan Penal Code, a legal step forward does not guarantee the prevention of future attacks. What is needed is consistent security on the ground, coupled with transparent accountability on behalf of those who are tasked with protection anytime such an incident occurs.
Equally urgent is the fight against misinformation. Community leaders, educators and religious scholars must be brought into the fold to address misconceptions and stigma attached to the vaccine.
Protecting health workers is not just a bureaucratic formality, it is a moral and national obligation. If Pakistan fails to shield its frontline vaccinators then it fails its children, whose futures depend on the simple act of prevention.
