EASTERN Cape schoolgirls will start receiving the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine next month, the provincial Health Department confirmed yesterday.
Schoolgirls aged between nine and 13 who are in Grade 4 will be immunised against HPV as part of a national campaign.
The World Health Organisation recommends that young girls be vaccinated against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that causes the majority of cervical cancers.
Parents will be asked to fill in con- sent forms for children under the age of 12, with those older able to give consent themselves. – Estelle Ellis