Traveling to Jarnac, Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday the generalization of vaccination campaigns at college to fight against the papillomavirus.
All 5th graders will be able to be vaccinated against papillomaviruses in college from the next start of the school year in September 2023, the President of the Republic announced on Tuesday February 28 during a trip to a college in Jarnac in Charente. The goal is to protect adolescents against these viruses which cause thousands of cancers each year. Papillomavirus infection is responsible for more than 6,000 new cases of cancer each year in men and women.
1 Who is affected by the papillomavirus?
Contrary to what one might think, papillomaviruses do not only cause female cancers, of the uterus or vagina. These viruses, which are transmitted through sexual relations, also cause cancer in men: of the anus but also of the ENT sphere, the part of the human body including the ears, nose and throat.
To avoid lesions that can lead years later to cancer, there is a vaccine, very effective, recommended for young people between 11 and 14 years old, but also in catch-up up to 19 years old. Yet today, only 37% of girls and 9% of boys are vaccinated. Emmanuel Macron is therefore launching a major free vaccination campaign, in all colleges, for 5th graders, from the start of the school year. And then, to generalize vaccination outside college, from September, pharmacists, midwives and nurses will in turn be able to prescribe the vaccine and administer it.
2 How is this college vaccination campaign going?
The vaccination campaign will take place on the model of the experiment which was carried out in the Grand Est for two years. The staff of the vaccination center goes to the establishment for a first information session, then two other vaccination sessions are organised, for the first and the second dose, this is done at six-month intervals.
There is no obligation, students from the 5th grade can be vaccinated by the doctor or the school nurse at their request. The Grand Est experiment has shown its effectiveness. The first year, a quarter of the students who were not up to date were vaccinated against the papillomavirus.
3 Why does this vaccine not appeal more to the French?
there are several possible explanations. First of all, the cost of the vaccine of almost a hundred euros. 65% reimbursed by health insurance and the rest is paid by the mutual insurance company. Another possible reason: infection remains rare. Eight out of ten people will be exposed to the papillomavirus during their lifetime, but most often this sexually transmitted infection does not cause symptoms and it has no impact on health. Except in 10% of cases, where the infection becomes persistent and can cause precancerous lesions and possibly cancer (6,300 new cases per year). There is also the distrust of the French vis-à-vis vaccines with the fear of side effects. However, studies show that this vaccine is more than 86% effective and that it does not cause autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
4 Is France lagging behind other countries?
France is very late compared to our European neighbors. Vaccination coverage in 2020 in Europe reaches 50% in 20 countries. We even exceed 70-75% in 11 countries, often the Scandinavian countries Finland, Norway, Sweden or even Denmark where we reach 85% vaccination among girls and boys. Vaccination is also high in countries in Eastern Europe, such as Hungary or even in the south with Spain and Portugal.
Conversely, the figures are much lower in France, among even the lowest in Europe, since only 37% of girls are vaccinated. A figure improving since we were still less than 30% in 2018, but we are far from the objective of the cancer plan which aimed for 60% of vaccinated. Among boys, it is even worse, since only 9% of adolescents have been vaccinated.
In France, the vaccine against papillomavirus infections has been recommended for girls since 2007, and for boys only for two years. While in several countries, vaccination has been open to girls and boys for much longer, which increases vaccination coverage. Australia, for example, is one of the pioneering countries on vaccination. Since 2007, the country has been carrying out vaccination campaigns among teenage girls and since 2013 among boys, almost ten years earlier than France. This lead now makes it possible to measure the results. Between 2005 and 2015, the percentage of women with HPV in Australia fell from 23% to 1%. The country even aims to be the first in the world to eradicate cervical cancer caused by the papillomavirus.