MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Two separate incidents of vaccination teams coming under attack have been reported from Punjab, as a lack of awareness is causing misgivings among the people about the newly introduced human papilloma vaccine (HPV).

Health department teams in Chishtian and Mandi Bahauddin came under attack on Thursday, prompting the Punjab health minister to order additional security measures for their protection.In Chishtian, a health department team vaccinating schoolgirls with the HPV was accosted by scores of people at the Government Elementary School, Hussain Colony.

A majority of the attackers were parents of students who were to be vaccinated. Police were called in to control the situation.

The health team, in the presence of the police, tried to persuade the parents to vaccinate the girls, but they could not convince them and returned without vaccinating the schoolgirls.

Meanwhile in Mandi Bahauddin, a lady health worker who was a part of a vaccination team was beaten up by local women at Chak No 38, according to Kuthiala Sheikhan Police StationHouseOfficer(SHO) Sabir Hussain Sindhu.

Ghulam Sughra stated that she was present along with the team vaccinating children at an elementary school when she and her colleagues were attacked by a woman, identified as Parveen, along with 15 other women.

The SHO said the case was registered on LHW`s complaint under sections related to obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions and criminal intimidation.

In a statement, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said that violence against LHWs would not be tolerated, and announced that vaccination teams would be provided extra security.

The HPV vaccine, first launched in Pakistan in 2022, hasnowbeenrolled out nationwide as part of the routine immunisation programme to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer. However, there is a propaganda going on against the vaccine on social media that is proving to be a big hurdle in saving girls from the deadly disease.

The immunisation campaign, which began on Sept 17, will conclude on Sept 27.