Researchers: Dorothy A Machalek, PhD; Dorothy C Nyemba, PhD; Danielle Travill; Prof Kathy Petoumenos, PhD; Zizipho Z A Mbulawa, PhD; Ishana Naidoo, BTech MSc; et al. April 2026 What Is The Study About? A school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme providing protection against types 16 and 18 of HPV was introduced in South Africa in 2014 for Grade 4 girls (aged ≥9 years), achieving 87% coverage among learners with at least one of the two recommended do

Your fertility is affected by everything from age, your partner’s age and sperm health, daily diet, BMI, stress and even pollution. Lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking and drugs might seem like obvious things to avoid, but did you know that excessive exercise, is also not a good idea when trying to fall pregnant? Let’s separate the facts from the fallacies. Key Fertility Statistics for South African Women: - Total Fertility Rate (TFR): 2.21 in 2025, falling from 2.78 in