Sindh’s HPV vaccination drive struggles to lift off as target slips away

Only 38% covered as time runs out to shield girls from cervical cancer

By Mukhtar Alam

KARACHI: Frustration is running high among campaigners of Sindh’s first-ever Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive as, after eight days of field efforts, they have managed to reach only 38 per cent of the total 4.07 million eligible girls across the province. The momentum has slowed compared to the initial days of the campaign, it emerged on September 24.

With only three days left before the officially declared September 27 deadline, authorities fear the campaign may fall far short of its 90 per cent target. The initiative, launched on September 15, is aimed at protecting adolescent girls from cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in Pakistan and worldwide.

According to the Sindh Directorate of Immunisation’s daily situation report, compiled as of September 23, about 57 per cent of the interim target of 2.62 million girls set for the first eight days had been vaccinated. However, this still leaves 2.58 million of the total 4.07 million eligible girls across the province unvaccinated, with only three days remaining before the campaign’s September 27 deadline.

By contrast, other regions of the country have shown comparatively better progress. Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad, which initially lagged behind Sindh, have now improved their cumulative coverage to 52, 31 and 23 per cent, respectively, compared to their earlier six-day figures of 42, 27 and 18 per cent.

Sources familiar with the campaign attributed the slow progress in Sindh to weak school participation, observing that authorities may need to relaunch the initiative with revised strategies and stronger confidence-building measures to achieve more robust results. The report further observed that coverage in major urban centres and adjoining districts remains below expectations. Karachi has reported only 33 per cent coverage, while Hyderabad has reached 51 per cent, Mirpurkhas 52 per cent, Shaheed Benazirabad 63 per cent, Larkana 72 per cent, and Sukkur 81 per cent.

The official review also highlighted gaps in team deployment, community mobilisation and strategy realignment, stressing the need for stronger engagement with schools, parents and community influencers to avoid missed opportunities. Authorities acknowledged that refusals from both schools and parents continue to act as barriers, with coverage in so-called “refusal schools” particularly low. A recent root-cause analysis found that 13 per cent of surveyed girls had missed vaccination, with refusals and absenteeism emerging as the main reasons.

The report further noted that the vaccination momentum slowed compared to the initial days, with coverage declining in many districts, including Keamari, East, Central, Malir, South, Korangi, Jacobabad, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Shikarpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Jamshoro, Karachi West, Matiari, Thatta, Umerkot, Larkana, Khairpur, Tando Mohammad Khan and Dadu. The lowest-performing districts were identified as Kashmore, Tharparkar, Sukkur, Sanghar and Ghotki.

Despite the challenges, officials expressed hope that intensified community engagement and renewed outreach in the final days would help boost coverage before the campaign concludes. 

Photos: Official sources