Why has Pakistan's HPV vaccine campaign faced a backlash?

"In September, Pakistan launched its first-ever national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine campaign, aiming to immunise more than 13 million girls aged nine to 14 in its first phase. HPV is the most common cause of cervical cancer, which kills eight Pakistani women every day, according to Dr Dapeng Luo, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Pakistan. The United Nations health agency has set a goal of eradicating cervical cancer globally by 2030."

"HPV is a common group of viruses that enter the body via skin-to-skin contact, typically through a cut or abrasion. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and they are often spread through sexual contact. Infection can be hard to identify because many people who have contracted an HPV have no symptoms at all, and it can take many years for cancer to develop. Some types of the virus eventually cause warts on the genitals or other parts of the body."

"More than 95 percent of the 660,000 cervical cancer cases recorded each year worldwide are caused by HPV, according to the WHO. In Pakistan, more than 5,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported every year, it said. Some strains of HPV can cause different types of cancer, such as cervical cancer, vulvar cancer or vaginal cancer. However, cervical cancer typically develops 20 years after the onset of the HPV infection."

Pakistan launched its first national HPV vaccine campaign in September aiming to immunise more than 13 million girls aged nine to 14 in the first phase. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and kills eight Pakistani women daily. The WHO targets global cervical cancer eradication by 2030. HPV comprises over 100 virus types spread primarily through sexual skin-to-skin contact and often causes asymptomatic infections that can take many years to progress to cancer. More than 95 percent of the 660,000 annual cervical cancer cases worldwide are linked to HPV. Persistent HPV strains can evade immunity and trigger abnormal cell growth leading to cancer. Vaccine rollout has faced backlash amid circulating conspiracy theories.

Read at www.aljazeera.com