First anti-cervical cancer campaign fails to achieve target

Islamabad: The first national campaign against cervical cancer vaccination across the country failed to achieve the set target.

According to media reports, the anti-HPV vaccination campaign continued from September 15 to 27, during which 5.2 million girls were vaccinated in Punjab, and its target was 68 percent.

Similarly, 2.4 million girls were vaccinated with HPV in Sindh, and the campaign achieved 65 percent of the target. 97,117 girls were vaccinated in Azad Kashmir and 46,949 girls in Islamabad.

It is also reported that the HPV campaign in Azad Kashmir achieved 39 percent of the target, and in Islamabad, 35 percent of the target was achieved.

This campaign was not conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Balochistan. The campaign in Balochistan will be conducted in 2027, and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan in 2026.

According to reports, the target of the HPV campaign was to vaccinate 11.7 million girls, while the national rate of the anti-cervical vaccination campaign was 66.32 percent, according to which 7.7 million girls could be vaccinated in the campaign