Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
As part of a public consultation, the Haute Autorité de Santé is opening the debate on the obligations and vaccination recommendations of health professionals for different vaccines. It will focus in particular on vaccines for DTP, hepatitis B and Covid-19.
While many caregivers are still suspended from their duties for non-vaccination, the High Authority for Health (HAS) is relaunching the debate on the subject, by publishing a press release. However, it reserves its final opinion for the end of March.
Towards a lifting of the vaccination obligation?
In its draft opinion, the HAS specifies first of all that the professionals concerned are “health professionals, professionals who work in health establishments, social and medico-social structures and those who are in close and repeated contact with young children”.
Then, the HAS estimates that “in the current context, the vaccination obligation against Covid-19 could be lifted for all the professionals concerned” by this duty. However, she warns that “this vaccination should however remain strongly recommended, in particular for professions for which a vaccination recommendation is currently in force for influenza“.
Finally, the press release specifies that this is not a final decision and specifies that it will conduct a public consultation for one month, in view of “societal importance” of the subject before issuing a final opinion at the end of March.
What about DTP and Hepatitis B?
This opinion will probably be followed by the government, as is usually the case when the HAS makes its decisions. The health authority was also seized for the other compulsory vaccines for caregivers, in particular hepatitis B, as well as diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis (combined in the DTP vaccine).
For the latter, the HAS is leaning towards lifting the obligation for caregivers, with the exception of those in Mayotte, a department very exposed to diphtheria. For hepatitis B, the HAS evokes a partial maintenance of the obligation, targeted on caregivers exposed to a high risk of contamination.
The opinion of Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo
“The separation of unvaccinated caregivers no longer makes sense today. They must be reintegrated since it has been proven that the vaccine does not protect against the transmission of the virus. As for the DT-Polio vaccination, it cannot be compared to that of Covid-19. It is not to be questioned, because we are faced with a proven vaccine, known for a long time and which protects against tetanus, in particular, a disease for which we have no treatment at present.“.