ISLAMABAD: The HPV vaccination campaign for prevention of cervical cancer in women failed to achieve its target of vaccination to 1,17,29,787 girls.
The vaccination campaign covered 6.7 million girls in 11 days with 65% vaccine coverage in Sindh, 63% in Punjab, 35% in Azad Kashmir and 34% in Islamabad.
Four million girls remained unvaccinated owing to parents’ refusal, illness and various other reasons.
The campaign started from September 15 in Punjab, Sindh, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir was earlier set to conclude until 27 September.
The government decided to extend the duration of the cervical cancer prevention campaign after provinces reported falling short of vaccination targets,
According to officials, Punjab, Sindh, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad will extend their HPV vaccination campaigns.
The Sindh government has already decided to prolong its campaign by three days, pushing the deadline to September 30.
The province is expected to notify the federal government of its decision formally.
In Islamabad, health authorities are considering extending the campaign by three to seven days, while Punjab and Azad Kashmir are also expected to grant extensions within the same range.
