2023-10-07 06:27:35
“Papilloma what? Does this have a link with the Covid virus? Madam, we don’t know. We still don’t do sexual things at our age!“, giggle two teenagers, leaving the Germaine-Tillon college in Marseille (12th).
The start of a major national vaccination campaign once morest human papillomavirus (HPV) infections was given this Monday, October 2, in nearly 7,000 public and private schools under voluntary contracts. Free and not compulsory, it is done in agreement with both parents and aims to improve vaccination coverage to prevent the 6,000 new cases of cancer and the 30,000 precancerous lesions of the cervix caused each year by this infection (cancers vulva, vagina and anus too).
Free for 5th grade
The objective of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Ministry of National Education and Youth is to vaccinate at least 30% of 5th grade students during this first wave (all 11-14 year olds can also be vaccinated by local medicine). Nearly 62,365 students from the Paca region (458 public and private establishments mobilized) are therefore concerned, i.e. 7,500 young people from Bouches-du-Rhône spread across 192 colleges (137 public, 55 private).
The Department will take part in this by organizing vaccination with mobile teams in 46 sites, assigned by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) as part of an agreement and located outside major cities. This represents approximately 25% of the region’s colleges and 4,200 doses of vaccine to be administered (the first dose will be offered in the fall and the second before the end of June 2024). The City of Marseille will also be active in 40 schools, targeting 5,000 students with the support of the European Hospital and the IHU Méditerranée Infection.
Recommended by the High Authority for Health in children aged 11 to 14, vaccination prevents up to 90% of HPV infections. However today, only 41.5% of girls and 8.5% of boys (for whom vaccination has only been recommended since January 2021 even though they are affected by 25% of cancers) are immunized. Coverage is a long way from the 80% objective set for 2030 in the ten-year strategy to combat cancer, knowing that 80% of women and men are exposed to these viruses during their lifetime.
“Since Covid, we no longer have confidence. We have been lied to. The vaccine is a no!”
Information kits prepared by the National Cancer Institute (Inca) were distributed to classes in September (a first prevention letter was sent to parents of 6th grade students last June) in order to raise awareness among families regarding the benefits of this vaccination on the health of young people. At the same time, Inca has provided educational teams with educational tools to discuss these issues with adolescents and the ARS has developed a general public communication campaign.
Now, the big challenge is to convince in a context of vaccine distrust. “Since Covid, we no longer have confidence. We were lied to. The vaccine is no! They’ll protect themselves, that’s all. And this question has no place in school, it must remain private“, judge Audrey and Salah, parents of two boys in 6th and 4th grade. “It worries me but I’m going to talk to my doctor before deciding, confides Valérie near the La Fourragère metro station. At home, I have already broached the subject with my 13-year-old son, we discuss openly without taboos. He tends to be a hypochondriac and would therefore be rather supportive.“
And above all to continue to raise awareness and inform because obviously the message has not reached everyone. “I did not hear anything, admits Zainaba. For my 16 year old daughter, it was the doctor who recommended it to us, she will do it. On the other hand, I didn’t know that boys were also affected. It’s harder to talk regarding these things with my son. He’s 13…but I’m going to seriously look into it.“
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