Sindh leads HPV vaccination drive but falters in schools
Authorities push for community mobilisation and myth-busting as Karachi lags far behind provincial targets By Mukhtar Alam KARACHI: Sindh, while leading all provinces and territories in vaccination rates during the first six days of the first-ever Human Papillomavirus (HPV) campaign launched on September 15, is struggling to achieve meaningful penetration in schools. Nearly half (48.5%) of the targeted 9–14-year-old girls are enrolled in educational institutions—879,000 in public schools, 834,000 in private schools, and 137,000 in Sindh Education Foundation schools—yet coverage within these settings remains alarmingly low. According to the Sindh Directorate of Immunisation’s (SDI) latest district-wise report, updated on September 20, the campaign aims to vaccinate 4.1 million girls. A source privy to the data said, “unexpected refusals at schools and community resistance remain major barriers.” The SDI circular has urged intensified mobilisation, school sensitisation, and tighte...