22/09/2025
📢 Claim:
Pakistan is currently conducting a nationwide campaign to administer the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls between the ages of 9 and 14. During this immunization drive, a video has gone viral across major social media platforms—including TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Instagram—showing several schoolgirls lying in a hospital. The accompanying posts allege that the girls became seriously ill after receiving the HPV vaccine.
The video was amplified on X by Abdullah Gul, son of former ISI chief Lieutenant General (Retd.) Hamid Gul and Chairman of Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan and Kashmir, where it has gained 2.8K views and 1.8K reposts. Gul captioned the clip:
“After forced vaccinations in schools, several girls fell ill and had to be shifted to hospitals. For God’s sake, take a clear and firm stance when it comes to your children. All global experiments are always carried out on the poor. There is no aid for flood victims, yet the West is offering free vaccines.”
The same footage was also uploaded to the page “Voice Of Bhakkar” where it garnered 16,000 views and 242 shares. The accompanying caption alleged that “this video was received from a source reporting that schoolgirls became unwell after vaccinations and were taken to the hospital.” This misleading post remains in active circulation across multiple social media platforms, fueling public apprehension and reinforcing misinformation surrounding the ongoing HPV vaccination campaign.
🔍 Fact-Check:
After the video resurfaced on social media and triggered widespread speculation, our verification team launched a detailed inquiry. The investigation confirmed that the footage is from 2024 and bears no relation to the current HPV vaccination drive. A reverse-image search traced the footage back to May 2024, when it was uploaded to YouTube under the title “Police fired tear gas at girls’ schools in Dadyal.” You can watch the original YouTube video of the incident by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/_0mkGYnd2Qo?si=5hf7TS98nqv3JC0t
Further investigation uncovered a report published by DawnNews, Pakistan’s leading English-language newspaper, on May 10, 2024 which confirms that the incident occurred in Dadyal, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). According to the report, a shutter-down strike was held to protest new taxes on electricity bills. During clashes between protesters and police, tear-gas shells were fired, some of which accidentally landed inside a girls’ school, causing several students to experience breathing difficulties and require medical attention. This footage predates the current vaccination drive and bears no relation to the HPV vaccine. The full Dawn report can be accessed at this link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1832587
đź“‹About the HPV Vaccine:
Pakistan’s HPV immunization program aims to protect young girls from cervical cancer, a preventable and potentially deadly disease. Health authorities have stated that the vaccine is being administered to girls aged 9 to 14 to provide long-term protection against the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer.
According to the BBC News, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal announced that the first phase of the campaign runs from September 15 to September 27 in Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, and Azad Kashmir, with a second phase planned for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Furthermore, District Health Officer Islamabad Dr. Rashida Batool told BBC News that the HPV vaccine is already approved and in routine use in 149 countries, where no serious adverse effects have been reported. Minor symptoms—such as mild fever or slight redness at the injection site—may occur but can be treated with a simple pain reliever like Panadol.
âś… Key Findings:
All available evidence confirms that the viral hospital video is misleading and unrelated to Pakistan’s HPV vaccination effort. The footage depicts an old protest incident that is being falsely presented as a vaccine reaction in order to create panic and discourage immunization.
This tactic mirrors earlier disinformation campaigns targeting polio and COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan. The public is strongly advised to disregard unverified claims on social media and to rely only on trusted health authorities and credible medical sources when making decisions about vaccination. Protecting children from preventable diseases requires facts, not fear.
