She had not didn’t find much echo last year, it will be relaunched in the fall in the Nancy-Metz academy. vaccination against papillomavirus or HPV will be offered again to 5th grade students, girls and boys, to protect them from these viruses which can be responsible for cancers affecting the cervix, vagina, penis or even the ENT sphere. In 60% of cases, the infection occurs at the beginning of young people’s sexual life.
During the first campaign launched at the start of the 2023 school year, the Ministry of Health’s objective was to have 30% of 5th grade students vaccinated. Only 10% have been vaccinated according to provisional official figures. “It was the first time, it had been a taboo subject for decades, vaccination in schools”underlines Emilia Frentiu, infectious disease specialist at the Nancy University Hospital. “Restarting vaccination in schools is really a good step forward. For me, it’s positive.”
Only 9% of 16-year-old boys vaccinated against HPV in the Grand Est
Vaccination is carried out with two doses injected at six-month intervals. It is free, not compulsory – parental consent is required – but highly recommended by health authorities. “The vaccine has been administered for more than ten years, more than 6 million doses have been administered in France with good tolerance”says Dr. Frentiu, “100% of cervical cancers, and there are still 3,000 cases per year in France, are due to HPV. So getting vaccinated against HPV protects against these cancers, but not only that, it also protects against other anal, genital or ENT cancers.”
According to the Grand Est Regional Health Agency, barely 45% of 16-year-old girls benefit from a complete HPV vaccination schedule. Among 16-year-old boys, this figure falls to just over 9%. Last year, nearly 9,000 5th grade students were vaccinated in the Grand Est. This year, more than 63,400 in the region are affected by the new campaign.
