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...