The Department of Health will on Monday begin its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive targeting girls at the age of nine and older.
HPV is a common virus that can infect both males and females and causes cervical cancer in women later in life.
It’s spread primarily through skin-to- skin contact, often during sexual intercourse.
The department says the vaccination drive aims to protect girls from cervical cancer, which remains the second most common cancer among women in South Africa, after breast cancer.
The department’s Dr. Fikile Ndlovu says the campaign looks at young girls at the age of nine, which is pre-teen.
“We must vaccinate our young girls before they are infected with HPV, hence choosing that age because during that period, you get a good immune response. So you’ll get the maximum protection for the future, avoiding cervical cancer.”
