Punjab’s first human papillomavirus vaccination HPV vaccine drive, which was aimed at protecting young girls from cervical cancer in the future, failed to achieve the desired vaccination targets.
As per the target, 90 percent of girls were to be administered the vaccine, but jabs were administered to only 81 percent of girls, sources said.
According to the statistics released by health authorities, the campaign—launched to vaccinate girls aged between 9 and 14 years against the HPV, a major cause of cervical cancer—fell well short of the 90 percent coverage goal in 24 districts of Punjab.
In Lahore, where the target was to vaccinate 838,611 girls, only 680,661 received the HPV vaccine.
This means that over 150,000 girls in the provincial capital remained unvaccinated.
Health officials attributed the gap to poor logistical planning, inadequate field coordination, and insufficient parental awareness about the vaccine’s importance.
While several districts underperformed, Okara emerged as the top-performing district, reportedly exceeding its target with 102 percent coverage.
Health workers there managed to vaccinate more girls than initially projected, marking a rare success in an otherwise underwhelming campaign.
In stark contrast, Chakwal recorded the lowest coverage rate in Punjab, managing to vaccinate only 74 percent of the targeted girls.
The shortfall in multiple districts has prompted health experts to call for an urgent review of the campaign’s strategy, including better mobilization of field staff, improved public awareness efforts, and stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure full coverage in future drives.
