“I’m a little stressed but it’s okay. » This fifth grade student is not going far when he extends his arm to a nurse, this Friday, October 4, in Saint-Savinien. In Charente-Maritime, the vaccination campaign against papillomavirus infections begins at the Robert-Cellerier college. Thirteen of the 80 fifth graders responded. “It’s very scary,” admit Lylou, Soraya, Mano and Noëlyne, who especially fear the injection.
The departmental director of the ARS, Laurent Flament, and the prefect, Brice Blondel, came to support the vaccination campaign.
Philippe Ménard / SO
The prefect of Charente-Maritime is there too. He invited the press to get his message across. “It’s essential what happens here. Around 80% of the population contracts the papillomavirus. Not everyone develops illnesses, however it causes 30,000 lesions and 6,500 cancers per year in France. Three quarters of patients are women, but men are not spared. This concerns everyone. Faced with this, there is a very simple action, vaccination. »
22% in 2023
In Charente-Maritime, the first campaign, in 2023, affected 22% of fifth grade students, two points more than the national average. It especially enabled strong progress among boys. “For the 2011 generation, we went from 9% to 48% of children vaccinated, and from 45 to 61% for girls. The difference with the 22% is that some were already vaccinated elsewhere,” specifies Laurent Flament, the departmental director of the regional health agency.
Philippe Ménard / SO
The campaign generated a strong increase in the vaccination rate among adolescents.
HPV: is there any point in getting vaccinated as an adult? (video)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections can progress to different cancers, the most common of which is cervical cancer. This is why vaccination is recommended for girls and boys aged 11 and over. However, can an adult who would not have benefited from it as a teenager be vaccinated? Is this useful in terms of prevention? The answers of Professor Jean-Jacques Baldauf, specialized in gynecological oncology at the University Hospitals of Strasbourg.
To eradicate infections linked to papillomaviruses, according to him, it would be necessary to reach 70 to 75% of the population. “For once, we have a vaccine that can fight cancer. Vaccination has shown its effectiveness in Spain and Australia. The HPV vaccine generates a very good response rate in adolescents, aged 11 to 14, before sexual activity. After 18, 20 years, it no longer gives anything. »
“For once, we have a vaccine that can fight cancer. Vaccination has shown its effectiveness in Spain and Australia »
Mumps, rubella, measles
“We must twist the arm of the anti-vax arguments. They work with parents, often via social networks, to scare them and distract them. Why are these people fighting against a vaccine that is useful? This vaccine is not dangerous, it is lifesaving”, supports Brice Blondel, who says “to trust the health authorities”.
The Covid episode has left its mark. Why put so much pressure on vaccination, only to achieve a major relaxation today? “It is linked to the evolution of the virus itself. As with the Spanish flu, the first form was very violent. As they evolved, the strains became less aggressive. Nothing excludes the return of a very aggressive strain. The virus is still there, we are monitoring it,” replies Laurent Flament. It also encourages protection against whooping cough. In France, despite a vaccination rate of 95%, the disease caused 35 deaths last year, including 22 children.
The college campaign takes place in two stages, in fall and spring. The Department is taking the opportunity to offer middle school students the opportunity to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, other diseases which are making a breakthrough again.
