France launched a vaccination campaign against genital human papillomavirus (HPV) for all girls and boys in secondary schools, as the country has one of the lowest vaccine rates against HPV in Europe.
The vaccination, which requires two doses, will not be mandatory, with the decision left up to parents. Children who choose to be vaccinated will receive one dose in December and another six months later.
This campaign will offer “secondary-schoolers in 5th grade a vaccine that prevents up to 90% of infections,” said Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau on X on Monday.
The vaccine rate against HPV in France is one of the lowest in the EU: 41.5% of 16-year-old girls had received a complete vaccination by 2022, according to the French National Cancer Institute. Among boys, the vaccine rate is way lower as it only reaches 8.5%.
People infected with HPV often show no symptoms, but the infections can cause precancerous lesions or cancer of the vulva, cervix, vagina, or anus.
One of the only existing vaccines is Gardasil 9. In September, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) said it would carry out “enhanced monitoring” of any vaccine side effects.
“The adverse effects most frequently observed with Gardasil 9 vaccines”, like pain at the injection site or headaches, “are not serious in the vast majority of cases, and disappear spontaneously within a few days, even if they can be annoying”, the ANSM added.
In February, Président Emmanuel Macron promised to set up this campaign to help improve vaccination coverage against these viruses, responsible for more than 6,000 new cancer cases in France every year.
A study published in The Lancet in August found that almost one in three men worldwide is infected with at least one HPV, further evidencing the importance of including men in vaccination strategies.
(Clara Bauer-Babef | Euractiv.fr)
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