Pakistan has vaccinated about 9 million adolescent girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer, as part of a continuing national campaign that has overcome early setbacks fuelled by skeptics online, the health minister said Friday.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said around 18 million girls will be vaccinated in the country over the next two years.

He said the program overcame what he said were baseless rumours spread by some parents that the vaccine could cause infertility.

He gave the vaccine to his own daughter live on stage in Karachi this week.

Health worker Shamim Anwar, 52, said the job of administering the vaccines has been exhausting.

“We are facing difficulties in convincing parents to get their girls vaccinated, but we are trying our best. In some cases this works, but due to these rumours against vaccines people are not cooperating much,” she said, as she went door-to-door for the campaign in Karachi.

She added that vaccinators have received abuse but they tolerate it.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among Pakistani women after breast and ovarian cancers.

Globally, it is the fourth most common.

Each year, between 18,000 and 20,000 women in Pakistan die of the disease, according to health authorities.

Experts promoted the campaign under the slogan “one jab will do the job.” Authorities set up vaccination centres and deployed teams to schools nationwide to reach as many girls as possible.

AP video shot by Muhammad Manaf