Two doses of vaccine will be offered free of charge to fifth grade students in their school.
A new vaccination campaign is opening in France. From Monday, October 2, middle school students in fifth grade are invited to receive the first of two injections against human papillomavirus (also known by the English acronym HPV) in their school. This campaign was promised by Emmanuel Macron in February, and should allow to improve vaccination coverage against these viruses, responsible for more than 6,000 new cases of cancer in France each year. Here’s what you need to know about the terms of this operation.
A campaign subject to voluntary participation and parental consent
This vaccination campaign concerns the 800,000 students aged 11 to 14 years old and enrolled in fifth grade this year, in the nearly 7,000 public colleges as well as private establishments under contract which have volunteered, details the National Institute of cancer. It opens on Monday in several French regions, including Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Normandy, and will gradually extend to the entire territory. An experiment has already been carried out in the Grand Est for two years.
This vaccination is not obligatory. It is subject to the consent of both parents, who must complete an authorization form. Information kits have already been distributed since the start of the school year. Students will receive a first dose by December, and a second six months later. The injections will be carried out, in their college and during school hours, by mobile teams of caregivers from outside the establishment.
No fees to advance
These vaccines are fully covered by Social Security, with no advance costs. Students and their parents will therefore not have to pay anything as part of this campaign.
Vaccination recommended from age 11 for girls and boys
Vaccination against HPV does not only concern children who will be offered it in their school. It is recommended by the High Health Authority for all girls and boys aged 11 to 14, and can even be subject to catch-up up to 19 years, or even 26 years for men having relationships. sexual with other men.
To have their child vaccinated, parents can contact different health professionals (doctor, midwife, nurse, pharmacist, etc.) or a municipal or departmental vaccination center. In some of these centers, vaccination can be covered 100%, without upfront costs. For people who benefit from Supplementary Health Solidarity (CSS) or state medical aid, there is nothing to pay. If this is not the case, each dose of vaccine is covered at 65% by the Health Insurance fund. The rest is generally covered by complementary health insurance.
Safe and effective vaccines
Launched on the market in the 2000s, the HPV vaccine has proven its effectiveness against infection by these viruses, but also, with increasing evidence, against the risk of one day developing cervical cancer. ‘uterus. It is all the more effective if it is administered before the first encounter with the virus causing the infection, according to experts.
Vaccination prevents up to 90% of HPV infections. These often do not manifest themselves with any symptoms, but are the cause of precancerous lesions or cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina or anus. Vaccination against HPV is one of the only existing vaccinations against precancerous lesions and cancers, points out the government. Only one of the existing vaccines, Gardasil 9, will be administered during the college campaign. It is the only one to have given convincing results in men, reminded HAS in 2020.
Like all vaccines, the human papillomavirus vaccine is monitored by the World Health Organization. In a post-Covid context, where vaccine distrust persists among some French people, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) announced at the end of September that it would carry out a “reinforced surveillance” possible side effects of the injection as part of the campaign in colleges. However, “the most frequently observed adverse reactions with Gardasil 9 vaccines”including pain at the site of the sting or headache, “are not serious in the vast majority of cases, and disappear spontaneously within a few days, even if they can be annoying.reassures the ANSM.
Vaccination coverage lower than in many neighboring countries
The vaccination rate against human papillomaviruses in France is one of the lowest in Europe. In detail, only 41.5% of 16-year-old girls had received a complete vaccination schedule in 2022, according to the National Cancer Institute. Among boys, for whom this vaccination has only been recommended since 2021, vaccination coverage at the same age was 8.5%.
The campaign launched in colleges aims to improve these rates. In Europe, according to the WHO, 20 countries had vaccinated more than 50% of targeted young girls during the 2019-2020 school year, and eight states had reached 80% coverage. “Early vaccination, before each cohort encounters the virus, is the decisive element that prevents further spread of the latter”insists the organization.