Papillomavirus vaccination in middle schools to be renewed for the start of the school year

At the start of the school year, this vaccination will once again be offered free of charge to all students entering 5th grade.

It had a sluggish start last year. The vaccination of 5th grade students against the papillomavirus (HPV) will be renewed for the new school year, the Ministries of Health and Education announced to AFP on Wednesday, August 28. The government’s objective is still to reach 80% of children vaccinated by 2030.

Last year, a first edition of this vaccination campaign was organized against papillomaviruses which cause many cancers (cervical, vulvar, vaginal, ENT, anus, etc.). The Ministry of Health had set itself the goal of vaccinating at least 30% of 5th grade students in middle school. According to provisional official figures, at the beginning of February, only 10% of 5th grade students had received a first dose.

With vaccinations in private practices, vaccination coverage increased by 17 points among girls and 15 points among 12-year-old boys, between the start and the end of the first phase targeting 5th grade students, according to Public Health France. Nearly 420,000 12-year-old adolescents (48%) thus received a first dose of vaccine. “Given these encouraging initial results, the vaccination campaign will be repeated this year”specified the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

At the start of the school year, vaccination will once again be offered free of charge to all students entering 5th grade. The vaccination schedule consists of two doses, spaced at least five months apart. The complete two-dose vaccination can be carried out either over a single school year or over two school years, depending on the organization chosen in the region.

It requires the written agreement of both holders of parental authority. To raise awareness among parents, messages were sent to them at the end of the past school year. “A second letter will be sent to them within a few days to reiterate the information message.”the ministry said.