Published
Video length: 1 min
Papillomavirus: how to explain the failure of the vaccination campaign among 5th grade students?
Papillomavirus: how to explain the failure of the vaccination campaign among 5th grade students?
(France 2)
The government aimed to achieve a papillomavirus vaccination rate of 30% among 5th grade students. Only 13 to 15% have been vaccinated. How to explain this failure?
It’s a campaign that’s a flop. Only 13 to 15% of middle school students in 5th grade have been vaccinated against the papillomavirus. The government’s objective was to reach 30% of students. The first obstacle is the age group. It is not easy to raise awareness among 11-14 year olds, a population who no longer go to the pediatrician, and less to the general practitioner for the majority. Another difficulty: communicating about this virus, which is transmitted during sexual relations. An intimate subject that is sometimes not easy to discuss in families.
“There are fewer and fewer school doctors and nurses”
Furthermore, for Richard Handschuh, general practitioner, the agreement of both parents, which is obligatory, is not always easy to obtain, and the school environment is not the best setting for vaccination. “There are fewer and fewer school doctors and nurses, so we ask private city doctors to come”, he indicates. Finally, the price of this vaccination can be dissuasive for parents. The remaining cost for the two doses, after reimbursement by Social Security, is 80 euros.
