On 27 April 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections which gave birth to freedom and constitutional democracy. It was a special moment for millions of South Africans, who for the first time could vote for the government of their choice in the country of their birth.
South Africa’s HPV vaccination programme has by all accounts been a resounding success over the past decade, likely helping to prevent many cases of cervical cancer. But the programme has suffered major setbacks due to Covid-related disruptions. In addition to getting it back on track, some arg.
Several provincial health departments have stumbled from crisis to crisis over the last decade with no sign of sustained or meaningful improvement. One reason for this, argues Spotlight editor Marcus Low, is political interference and the cadre deployment.
In 2014, South Africa launched an HPV vaccination campaign targeting nine-year-old public schoolchildren in Grade 4. It involves delivering two doses of vaccine six months apart. Spotlight finds out how the campaign is going and what recent real-world HPV vaccine effectiveness data from the Uni.