High prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in unvaccinated adolescent girls in South Africa, particularly those living with HIV

In 2014, South Africa implemented a national two-dose HPV vaccination programme using the bivalent vaccine for girls aged 9 years and older attending Grade 4 at public schools. We assessed HPV prevalence and risk factors among South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 17-18 years who were ineligible for vaccination.