SA’s HPV vaccination programme is showing strong real-world success, significantly reducing infections with high-risk HPV-16 and HPV-18 strains among teenage girls.
Research from Wits University found over an 80% drop in these strains in vaccinated girls compared with unvaccinated peers.
The school-based initiative, launched in 2014, protects girls before sexual debut and remains effective even among those who later acquire HIV. The findings support continued investment in vaccination and suggest even greater benefits could come from adopting broader-coverage vaccines in future. – Business Day (20 March 2026)