RAWALPINDI: The first-ever Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched in Rawalpindi district to immunise girls aged nine to 14 against cervical cancer continued on Wednesday despite challenges.

The highest coverage was recorded in Kahuta, achieving 88 per cent of the daily target while the lowest coverage was reported in Taxila, which achieved only 44 per cent of the daily target.

Rawalpindi city vaccinated the highest number of girls in a single day, with a total of 5,370, followed by Rawalpindi Cantonment with 4,860 and Rawalpindi Rural with 4,643.

The campaign will run till September 27 with a district-wide goal of vaccinating 395,609 girls.

On the first day, 24,179 girls were vaccinated, achieving six per cent of the overall campaign target. This figure represents 73 per cent of the daily target of 32,967 vaccinations.

Speaking about challenges faced by teams, an official spokesman said the most pressing issue on the first day was the high number of 6,957 missed girls. Of these, 4,824 cases were refusals.

He said refusals were the most significant challenge, which health officials attributed to misinformation and misconceptions about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.

In addition, 1,847 girls were not available as they were absent from home or school during the teams’ visits, while 286 girls could not be vaccinated due to illness.

The Rawalpindi Health Authority has urged parents to support the HPV vaccination campaign for girls aged 9 to 14. “This vaccine is our best defence against cervical cancer, a disease that affects countless women,” the spokesman said. He added that vaccination teams are working actively in schools and communities, but refusals based on misinformation continue to pose a major challenge.

“We want to be clear that the HPV vaccine is safe and effective. It is endorsed by medical experts worldwide. We urge people not to let false information put their child’s future at risk,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2025