2023-10-03 19:14:00
“We inject a vaccine, we do not inject the demon. » By dropping this little sentence this Tuesday, October 3 in the morning of France Inter, Aurélien Rousseau, the Minister of Health, lit the fuse of a new controversy. In his speech, François Braun’s successor regretted that certain private schools under contract refused, for ideological reasons, to participate in the vaccination campaign against the papillomavirus in colleges.
“It (the vaccine) protects against cancers of the cervix, anus, vagina, vulva. Perhaps some find these words offensive. However, 5th grade children, in the public or private sector, have all heard these words. That parents and children do not want to be vaccinated, I understand. But if structures don’t want to, we have a major problem! » the minister got carried away. Not really the best way to launch a vaccination campaign called for by Emmanuel Macron in February.
“We are talking about a public health problem”
Since Monday, all 5th grade students, aged 11 to 14, from public and private secondary schools under contract have been invited to be vaccinated against the papillomavirus with the agreement of both their parents. A free campaign, but not obligatory, which also relies on the goodwill of private colleges which are not obliged to participate under a circular signed in July, a few days before Aurélien Rousseau took office.
Contacted, the minister’s entourage wants to demine the land. “Would we like it to be offered everywhere? Obviously, because we are talking about a public health problem and the more young people who are vaccinated, the better for the future. HPV vaccination is little known for what it should be. But private colleges retain the possibility of choosing to offer it or not. »
No figures on refractory establishments
For its part, the response from private Catholic education, which lists 1,569 colleges, and the vast majority of establishments under contract, was not long in coming. “There are indeed Catholic education colleges which do not wish to participate in the papillomavirus vaccination campaign. But these are for practical reasons, and not for ideological reasons as the Minister of Health seems to assert. His statement is also shocking, tells us Philippe Delorme, the secretary general of the movement. I remind you that within our establishments, we do not have school medicine and therefore no nurses. And contrary to what is said, the regional health agencies do not organize the entire campaign, since it is necessary to inform families, find a vaccination space… So some establishment heads refuse to comply. I recently had contact with a principal in Marseille who told me that she did not want to participate because there are two hospitals next to her establishment. »
Whether for practical or religious reasons, it is difficult to measure the exact number of refractory establishments. Neither the Ministry of National Education nor that of Health have been able to provide us with figures in this area. “He (Aurélien Rousseau) undoubtedly wanted to point out the bigotry of certain people, without wanting to stereotype parents and children,” says a government source. At the risk of disrupting the launch of the papillomavirus vaccination campaign.
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