Sindh's HPV Vaccination Drive Faces Challenges as Karachi Lags Behind

Sindh's first HPV vaccination drive, designed to immunize girls aged nine to 14 against cervical cancer, is reaching its conclusion, with Karachi reporting the lowest coverage among the province's districts. Launched on September 15, this initiative aimed to vaccinate 4.1 million young girls across 1,190 union councils in 30 districts and is set to close on September 27. According to the Sindh Expanded Programme on Immunisation, only 57 percent of the target has been met, raising alarms among health officials and experts.

Amidst varying district coverage, Naushahro Feroze led with 89 percent, while Karachi lagged at a mere 33 percent. Influential social media figures have spread misinformation, impacting vaccine uptake, particularly in Karachi, where only 288,477 out of 887,692 targeted girls have been vaccinated. Dr Khalid Shafi from the Pakistan Paediatric Association points to false propaganda and some religious opposition as contributing factors to this shortfall.

Despite Karachi's disappointing figures, EPI Project Director Dr Raj Kumar highlights encouraging signs from areas with lower literacy, attributing success to local political leaders' involvement. Parental counseling efforts in Karachi schools have escalated, aiming to enhance participation. Pakistan introduced the vaccine as the 149th country, with cervical cancer being a significant health threat. Experts emphasize the vaccine's safety and importance in combating the disease, noting that Islamabad's coverage is even lower at 18 percent.

(With inputs from agencies.)