Fact-check: Old, unrelated video falsely linked to HPV vaccination campaign
The clip is from May 2024 showing students affected by tear gas during a protest in Mirpur
Updated Monday Sep 22 2025
A video shared on social media appears to show schoolgirls in Pakistan falling ill and in pain after receiving the cervical cancer vaccine. The campaign to administer the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine began in the country on 15 September, and has been targeted by misinformation since.
The claim is false. The video is unrelated to the vaccination drive.
Claim
On September 16, a post on X stated: “Big news, HPV vaccine is being administered to children in Pakistan. Save your children from this vaccine. Look what happened to these children.”
The post included a 16-second video in which a man alleged the girls had fallen seriously ill after vaccination, calling it “poison”. The clip has been viewed over 48,000 times and reposted nearly 400 times.
The video was also shared on TikTok where it received over 21 million views.
Fact
The video is unrelated to the HPV vaccination campaign and is, in fact, more than a year old.
It was recorded in May 2024 in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, during a clash between protesting traders and the police. Tear gas fired by the police reportedly landed in a school, affecting students.
The footage was first uploaded on May 9, 2024, by a journalist and can be seen here.
Geo Television’s reporter in Azad Jammu and Kashmir also confirmed the video’s origin.
Pakistan launched its first-ever HPV vaccination campaign on September 15, aiming to protect 13 million adolescent girls against cervical cancer.
Verdict: The viral claim is false. The video does not show girls falling ill after receiving the HPV vaccine. It is an old clip from May 2024 showing students affected by tear gas during a protest in Mirpur.
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