ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, aimed at protecting girls against cervical cancer, has been disrupted by widespread misinformation, with many parents refusing consent and some schools shutting their doors. Officials said that by the end of the campaign on Saturday, only around half of the targeted 11 million doses had been administered.
False claims that the vaccine causes infertility or disrupts hormones spread quickly on social media, echoing long-standing conspiracy theories about Western-made vaccines. Health workers reported parents turning them away, hiding their daughters’ ages, and in some cases private schools closing for days to avoid the vaccination drive.
Federal health officials acknowledged that millions of girls remain unvaccinated but pledged to keep the vaccine available after the campaign. “We are committed to ensuring access so that more women and girls are protected,” one official said. Some teachers confirmed no doses were given in their schools due to lack of parental consent.
Videos misattributed to the vaccine circulated online, while political figures such as right-wing leader Rashid Mehmood Soomro amplified fears, telling supporters the campaign was designed to make girls infertile. These claims deepened resistance in both urban and rural communities.
Cervical cancer, caused in 95 percent of cases by persistent HPV infection, kills nearly two-thirds of the 5,000 women diagnosed annually in Pakistan, according to UNICEF. Health experts stress that the vaccine, approved by the World Health Organisation and used safely in more than 150 countries, is effective in preventing the disease.
In a bid to counter the backlash, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal publicly vaccinated his teenage daughter, saying he wanted to show that “the nation’s daughters are as dear to me as my own.” Despite such efforts, Pakistan’s resistance to vaccines persists, with polio also resurging this year after a brief period of decline.
