Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
in collaboration with
Dr Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
The President of the Republic, traveling this Tuesday to a college in the town of Jarnac, in Charente, announced widespread vaccination for college students from the 5th to the start of the next school year.
It was accompanied by the Ministers of Health and Education, François Braun and Pap Ndiaye, that the President of the Republic made his trip to a college to attend a vaccination session organized in the ‘educational establishment.
“Generalized” vaccination for fifth-grade students from next year
Emmanuel Macron therefore took advantage of this visit to announce a vaccination campaign “generalized“in the colleges for the voluntary pupils of fifth, in order”to eradicate the papillomavirus“. “It helps prevent a lot of cancers“, added the Head of State during this meeting with college students and specified that from September, the prescription and the HPV vaccination may also be carried out by pharmacists, midwives and nurses.
As a reminder, the papillomavirus causes 30,000 precancerous lesions of the cervix each year and 6,000 new cases of cancer in women and men.
What is the papillomavirus?
The papillomavirus – which is called HPV in English for human papillomavirus or human papillomavirus – is a very common virus that is contracted during sexual intercourse, mainly. According to Public Health France, 70 to 80% of sexually active women and men will be exposed to human papillomaviruses in their lifetime.
The infection is usually mild, but in a few cases they persist and eventually lead to cancer. We know that today, HPVs are the cause of 2,900 cancers of the cervix, which cause approximately 1,000 deaths per year, 1,500 cancers of the ENT sphere, 1,500 cancers of the anus , 200 cancers of the vulva or vagina and a hundred cancers of the penis.
Vaccination against the virus, a solution to eradicate it?
Two vaccines are currently available to fight HPV infection.
The Cervarix vaccine protects against human papillomaviruses 16 and 18. It is a bivalent vaccine, 65% covered by health insurance.
The Gardasil 9 vaccine protects against HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. It is a nonavalent vaccine, also reimbursed at 65% by health insurance.
The vaccination is done in two doses, if it is carried out between the ages of 11 and 14, for both girls and boys. In the context of catch-up vaccination, between the ages of 15 and 19, the vaccination schedule includes three injections. Remember also that the same vaccine must be used for the reminders and that the injection does not protect against previous infections, nor against all the papillomaviruses linked to cancer of the cervix.
“The effectiveness of this vaccine is not negligible, and vaccination against this virus is a good thing. In countries where it has been carried out at a significant rate, cancers of the cervix are on the way to disappearing In addition, it also protects boys from potential ENT or anal cancers” emphasizes Dr. Odile Bagot, gynecologist and member of the Doctissimo expert committee.
At present, in France, vaccination coverage is now 37% among women and 9% among men, while the ten-year cancer control strategy 2021-2030 aims for a target of 80% here seven years.