Vaccination against HPV, the human papillomavirus, has been recommended for young girls aged 11 to 14 since 2007. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, vaccination coverage is progressing, even if there are significant disparities between departments.
Radio SCOOP tells you more on the occasion of vaccination weekwhich takes place right now, from April 25 to May 1.
On-the-ground campaigns that have real impact
The human papillomavirus causes lesions in the vagina, which can eventually lead to cancer. Since 2007, vaccination has been recommended in France for young girls aged 11 to 14. In 2021, the recommendation was extended to boys of the same age.
According to latest data published by Santé Publique France, 37.2% of girls born in 2005 are fully vaccinated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. This is a little less than the national average and above all this number hides large disparities, since this proportion is only 31.9% in Drome, while it exceeds 44% in Puy-de-Dôme. .
“In Isère, for example, where there is a fairly large campaign, trips to the field and communication aimed at young people, we see that this department which was quite low has returned to a higher level. This can also be linked to individual care, at the medical level. Furthermore, for HPV there may be differences in vaccination coverage as they exist for other vaccines. Vaccination hesitation is greater in departments such as Ardèche and Drôme and vaccination coverage for other pathologies is also lower“, underlines Thomas Bénet, epidemiologist at the regional direction of Public Health France.
The WHO, the World Health Organization, is aiming for long-term vaccination coverage of 90% of the world’s population concerned.