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On the occasion of European Vaccination Week, the League Against Cancer is calling for two strong measures to be put in place against the human papillomavirus: 100% coverage and compulsory vaccination against HPV for girls and boys.
The human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world and responsible for 6 different cancers. During this European Vaccination Week, the League Against Cancer intends to press on this weak point, and raise awareness among parents and young people about vaccination against HPV infection by asking for an acceleration on the subject.
Make the vaccine mandatory to fight inequalities
Against these HPVs, there is a safe and effective vaccine for our children from the age of 11.
“However, vaccination is progressing only slowly and the recent decision for a vaccination campaign for young volunteers from the 5thif it goes in the right direction, will not be likely to be a game-changer for families far from information“ the League said in a statement.
While the League Against Cancer welcomes the approach announced in March 2023 by the President of the Republic, it calls for going further with remobilized school health: vaccination systematically offered, 100% reimbursement and a price for the vaccine. renegotiated to fight against inequalities.
“The public authorities must assume their responsibilities and facilitate access to HPV vaccination in all territories, and for all French people, by making it compulsory. It is no longer acceptable for 60% of girls from wealthy families to be vaccinated, against only 25% in the most modest backgrounds: this shows that there is still a strong inequality in access to information in our country, and intolerable inequalities in the face of disease”underlines Daniel Nizri, President of the League against Cancer
Clarify 100% coverage of this vaccine for girls and boys
Other measures seem important to mention for La Ligue, which intends to go further in prevention:
- The inclusion of HPV vaccination in the routinely proposed vaccination, for the sake of homogenization with other vaccinations; this especially in the event of non-achievement of 80% coverage;
- The guarantee of effectiveness in the organization of vaccination, despite school medicine suffering and lack of means for years;
- Clarification of 100% coverage of the vaccine in the event of catch-up if the 5th class appointment is missed;
- The reduction in the price of the dose: for the record, Gardasil 9 costs 135.68 euros/dose, it is therefore more expensive than the previous one even though the number of people to be vaccinated has doubled since 2021 with the inclusion of boys.
A situation that must improve on the territory
As a reminder, vaccination against HPV has been recommended since 2007 for girls aged 11 to 14, and recommended for boys since January 2021. But vaccination coverage remains low (respectively 37% and 9%) compared to the objective of 80% vaccination coverage for girls by 2023 set by the ten-year cancer control strategy. Coverage remains moderate, especially among the less economically advantaged populations and very minor among boys.
On the other hand, as the League reminds us, 80% of the population has been or will be exposed to HPV. While the infection is often mild, some are the cause of cancer: 6,400 cancers a year in France are attributable to HPV. This represents almost 2% of incident cancers (3,000 of them concern the Cervical cancer, 1,500 relate to the ENT sphere, 1,500 relate to cancers of the anus; the rest being divided between cancers of the vulva, vagina and penis).