The first vaccines against papillomaviruses (HPV), responsible for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were prescribed in France in 2007. However, despite proof of its effectiveness, this vaccine remains unpopular. If in the majority of cases the papillomaviruses do not cause any disease, in France they are the cause of 6,300 cancers each year. Of these, 3,000 are cancers of the cervix due to the persistent presence of HPV infection. But they are also responsible for cancers of the vulva, penis, or ENT sphere.
In 2021, less than 50% of 15-year-old girls had received a first dose. Faced with this too low vaccination coverage, Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Health François Braun and the Minister of Education Pap Ndiaye must go on Tuesday February 28 to the Jean-Lartaut college in Jarnac (Charente) to talk about prevention and attend a vaccination session within the establishment.
Too many taboos around sexually transmitted diseases
There are several reasons for the lack of popularity of this vaccine, initially offered to girls between the ages of 11 and 14. First of all, “the fact that we put the idea of this vaccine on the table when young girls are emerging from childhood but can potentially have first intercourse has disturbed”explains Élisabeth Bouvet, president of the technical commission for vaccinations at the Haute Autorité de santé (HAS).
Since family physicians are not very comfortable with questions of sexuality, “about 10% of pre-teens are not offered the vaccine by their doctor”, estimates Daniel Nizri, president of the League against cancer. The proposal for this vaccine also generates questions from parents, who had not yet thought about the fact that their child “could start their sex life, even if they usually start it much later”, says Elisabeth Bouvet.
Despite the effectiveness, a fear of side effects
The vaccine was then recommended also for boys in January 2021, partly “to desexualize the subject and show that it concerns us all”, explains Elisabeth Bouvet. Since this expansion, the number of 15-year-old girls who received a first dose has increased from 34% in 2019 to 45.8% in 2021. Another cause of this delay: a disproportionate emphasis on side effects. “The fear of these effects is mentioned by 20% of the parents of unvaccinated pre-adolescent girls”laments Daniel Nizri.
The necessary prevention
Accelerating the number of vaccinations against the papillomavirus seems all the more necessary since we observe that in Australia, where vaccination campaigns have taken place in schools, “there is a reduction of almost 90% of affections at the level of the cervix”, point Elisabeth Bouvet. The school then appears as an actor that can play a major role. In addition to raising awareness from an early age, “Vaccinating at school allows us to go towards the most economically fragile populations, those who tend to prioritize their health less”underlines the president of the League against cancer.
Elisabeth Bouvet even considers that “Vaccination in schools is a necessary condition for the success of this vaccination campaign”. To go further, the League against cancer intends to ask, in the coming weeks, that this vaccine be made compulsory.