Western Cape government health fights against HPV

Mluleki Mrwebi
14 January 2014

The Western Cape Department of Health will be embarking on a vaccination campaign against Human Papillomavirus also known as HPV.

Statistics show that one in every eight women that die in South Africa, die from complications as a result of Cancer of the Cervix. 

 The department’s health teams will be visiting all public schools to administer free HPV vaccination to girls in Grade 4 in 2014 and who have already turned nine and older. 

Provincial Government Health Spokesperson Jo-Anne Otto said the HPV virus is responsible for all approximately 80% cervical cancers and cancer is one of the leading killer diseases in the country.

Otto said this vaccination is an opportunity to protect girls from the age of 9 years or older and it will start on 17^th of February 2014 to 14^th of March 2014.