Cases of teenage pregnancies are on a rise across South Africa. The statistics of Human Science Research Council (HSRC) reveal that the cases of teenage pregnancies have increased by 21% in the past few years. HSRC says that black teenage girls from poor urban areas are most likely to fall pregnant and contract HIV.

Majority of these teenage girls are school going, and pregnancy affects their education. A survey found that Mavalani High School in rural Giyani, in the northern province of Limpopo, has 24 pregnant girls with an average of two in every class. Rising cases of pregnancy also increased concern over increasing HIV infection among the youth.

South Africa has the world's largest HIV-positive population. Nearly 5.7 million people out of the total 48 million people are infected with the virus.

A report of UNICEF says that the number of teenage pregnancies across SA is still low as compared to countries like Nigeria, Uganda, Somalia and Swaziland.

Health officials must aim at developing AIDS and pregnancy prevention programmes targeted at the youth. Government must launch school-based voluntary HIV testing programme so that HIV infection among youth could be detected at an early stage.