Cervical cancer, the third most prevalent cancer form among Pakistani women, is a reality. Pakistan has one of the highest cervical cancer mortality rates in South Asia, with 3,000 women losing their lives to the disease each year. This is mostly because of delayed diagnoses. Cervical cancer is prevented by the HPV vaccine. Imagine how frustrated and disappointed medical officials must have been to learn that, according to data released on Tuesday, the just completed HPV vaccine campaign had a 20% success rate. It is reasonable to believe that the eventual success rate will not be sufficient given the pervasive misinformation against the vaccine. Health experts say the main cause of the poor coverage rate is misunderstanding.  There is a narrative-building issue in Pakistan, and regrettably, the relevant authorities don’t do anything to stop conspiracy theories.

The strategy used by our government is still conventional. Although it was encouraging to see politicians share pictures of their daughters receiving vaccinations, it seems that the messages were not reaching the people they were meant to. Months prior to the vaccine program, the awareness campaign need to have been started. There is currently little information supporting the vaccine, most of it found in English-speaking areas. Second, those who are often disassociated from vaccine doubters are the focus of health organizations’ awareness workshops.  These same individuals discuss the nation’s efforts to address health issues while sitting in air-conditioned chambers, oblivious to the situation on the ground.  When a counter-narrative is created, it frequently has a biased tone, which irritates people. Establishing trust is one of the keys to effective communication.  Our leaders are solely responsible for the government’s failure to accomplish that.  Indeed, false information is a serious problem.  Indeed, one of the top ten hazards, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global hazards Report, is misinformation.  However, accepting risks alone won’t solve the problem.  What has the government changed thus far to persuade citizens to obtain the vaccine? 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sindh government used a carrot-and-stick strategy, threatening to withhold salaries from those who refused to get vaccinated.  There was something at the end, so that worked.  This week, we are discussing teenagers and girls, who typically lack a voice of their own. The authorities had the option of persuading well-known influences to disseminate the word.  Social media sites like Instagram, YouTube Live, and TikTok could have hosted a “Ask Me Anything” session to engage people directly.  Google Trends indicates that between September 14 and September 20, there was a surge in interest in the vaccine.  The government was in control of the internet at the time.  However, not all has been lost.  We can expect that the government will concentrate on developing narratives in the future, as this was one of the initial campaigns for the HPV vaccine.  The only way to protect our women from this cancer is to do that.