On April 12, the Ministry of Health published the new 2023 vaccination calendar. Produced following the opinion of the High Health Authority (HAS), it brings together all the recommendations for anyone residing in France according to their age and its particularities (person at risk, fragile, pregnant, etc.).
The main new features concern young children, since vaccination once morest rotaviruses, responsible for epidemics of acute gastroenteritisis now recommended for all infants. Her vaccination schedule consists of two doses (at 2 and 3 months of life) for the Rotarix® vaccine, and three doses (at 2, 3 and 4 months of life) for the RotaTeq® vaccine. The Ministry of Health specifies that the “strict compliance with this vaccination schedule is essential” to “ensure the completeness of the vaccination schedule before the age limit (6 months for Rotarix® and 8 months for RotaTeq®)”. The ministry also recalls that this virus is very contagious, and responsible each year for gastro epidemics between December and April.
As for vaccination once morest influenza, already highly recommended for the elderly and pregnant women, it can now be offered to children without comorbidity aged 2 to 17 years old. Small subtlety however: the HAS recommends using the vaccine intranasally for this age group, rather than the injection.
The HPV vaccine in all colleges at the start of the school year
Moreover, and in accordance with the statements of the President of the Republic at the end of February, the vaccine once morest human papillomavirus (HPV) infections will be offered to all 5th graders from the start of the next school year, free of charge. The aim is to prevent the occurrence of precancerous lesions and cancers induced by HPVs, which are responsible for more than 6,000 new cases of cancer each year. This measure will enable 800,000 students per year to be protected once morest HPV-related cancers, provided that all are willing to be vaccinated.
Finally, the Ministry of Health specifies that the Social Security financing law for 2023 has extended the skills of pharmacists, nurses and midwives in terms of prescribing and administering vaccines. Do not hesitate to discuss with them his vaccination status for a possible update.
