Gauteng health officials have praised the success of their latest immunisation drive after administering 80 000 life-saving Human Papillomavirus (HPV) jabs to young girls during the 2025 and 2026 rollout.

The Department of Health is now calling on parents, caregivers and legal guardians to support the ongoing campaign, which finishes on October 9.

The rollout is taking place at public and independent schools across the region, offering the vaccine to all eligible Grade 5 girls aged nine years and older.

Despite the strong overall numbers, health officials highlighted several challenges that have lowered vaccination rates at some schools. These include learners being absent on immunisation days, reduced access for vaccination teams, vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and the failure to return 24 327 parental consent forms.

No pupil will receive the vaccine without a signed consent form, though children aged 12 and older can give their own consent under national health guidelines. Officials are urging parents to read the school information pack, fill out the forms, and return them promptly so children can be protected against cervical cancer.

Experts stress that a single dose offers robust protection against the virus and drastically cuts the risk of developing cervical cancer in later life. According to the health department, cervical cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting women in South Africa, yet it is largely preventable through vaccination and regular screening.

While the virus affects both men and women, types 16 and 18 are responsible for more than 70% of all cervical cancer cases. The public health programme uses a safe and highly effective vaccine called Cervarix to target these high-risk strains.

A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health revealed that South Africa’s school-based programme has cut infections from these two high-risk strains by 83% among young women, including those living with HIV.

Officials say these findings prove the public health benefits of widespread immunisation, noting that the ongoing campaign relies heavily on backing from local communities and parents.