Katharine Child & Denise Williams 16 May, 2013 01:15Source: Times Live Image by: Gallo Images/Thinkstock   Fresh from his battle to reduce HIV infections and make antiretrovirals freely available to almost two million South Africans infected with the virus that causes Aids, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is now taking on cervical cancer.   In parliament yesterday, Motsoaledi announced that girls as young as nine at poorer primary schools would be given free vaccinations against human papilloma virus (HPV) from February. As many as 520000 girls aged between nine and 10 will be vaccinated against HPV, which causes cervical cancer. It is important that girls be vaccinated before they are sexually active if they are to be protected against HPV. More South African women are killed by cervical cancer than by any other type of cancer. Black women and HIV-positive women are particularly vulnerable to the disease. The drive to vaccinate schoolgirls was prompted by the severity and prevalence of the disease in young women, said Motsoaledi. He said it was not known what the vaccination roll-out would cost but he was negotiating with pharmaceutical companies on the pricing of the vaccine. "It's not about the money; it's about the human suffering ... we are obliged at all times to put money aside for treatment but we are not obliged at all times to put money aside for prevention," said Motsoaledi. He said about 6000 women were treated each year for cervical cancer in public hospitals at a cost of R100000 [...]