Gauteng Health urges parents to return consent forms as HPV vaccination campaign gets underway

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has appealed to parents, caregivers and legal guardians to return signed consent forms to schools as it rolls out its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign aimed at protecting young girls against cervical cancer.

The campaign, which runs until October 9, 2026, is being implemented at public and independent schools across the province and targets all eligible Grade 5 girls aged nine years and older.

Health officials said a single dose of the HPV vaccine provides effective protection against HPV infection and significantly lowers the risk of developing cervical cancer later in life.

"Cervical cancer, also known as cancer of the cervix, remains one of the most common cancers affecting women in South Africa. However, it is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and regular cervical cancer screening," the department said.

The department explained that HPV affects both males and females, with virus types 16 and 18 responsible for more than 70% of cervical cancer cases.

It added that the vaccine used in the public health programme, Cervarix, is safe and highly effective in protecting against these high-risk strains.

The department also cited findings published in The Lancet Global Health, which showed that South Africa's school-based HPV vaccination programme reduced infections caused by HPV types 16 and 18 by 83% among young women, including those living with HIV.

According to the department, the results highlight the significant public health benefits of achieving high vaccination coverage.

More than 80,000 girls received the HPV vaccine during the 2025/26 rollout campaign. However, the department said several challenges affected uptake, including limited access to vaccination teams, learner absenteeism on vaccination days, the non-return of 24,327 parental consent forms, as well as misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.

During the previous campaign, absenteeism resulted in 1,830 eligible learners missing their vaccinations.

"The success of this campaign depends on parental and community support. No learner will be vaccinated without a signed consent form," the department said.

The department noted that learners aged 12 years and older may legally provide their own consent in line with national health guidelines, although parents and caregivers are encouraged to remain actively involved in the process.

Parents and guardians have been urged to read the information provided by schools, complete the consent forms and return them without delay to ensure eligible learners receive protection against HPV and cervical cancer.