the Cervical cancer (CCU) remains the 4th leading cause of cancer and death in the world. In France, there are around 3,000 new annual cases of CCU and 1,100 deaths. To lower these figures, the health authorities have finally opted for organized screening cervical cancer (it will be implemented gradually in 2019) and recommend the vaccine against the HPV virus as a primary prevention for young girls aged 11 to 14, with catch-up up to 19 years.
Less than one in four 15-year-old girls are vaccinated
Since 2006, primary prevention based on vaccination against papillomavirus, has been implemented in many European countries with mixed results. The good vaccination coverage rates (53 to 82%) obtained in countries which have implemented organized vaccination programs (Sweden, Portugal, United Kingdom, Spain, etc.) contrast in fact with those in countries (such as France) which have opted for a “recommended” vaccination.
Thus, in our country, the HPV vaccination coverage rate at the end of 2016 was 24.4% among 15-year-old girls (for 1 dose) and 19.9% for 16-year-olds (3 doses). .
Vaccination of boys: we are awaiting the opinion of the HAS
“Until now male vaccination was altruistic vaccination. It was thought to vaccinate boys to protect girls. But today, it is shown that this vaccination also allows boys to protect themselves from a number of diseases linked to HPV “ underlines Dr Olivier Jourdain, obstetrician-gynecologist in Bordeaux (Gironde), interviewed during the Eurogin congress 2018.
On the occasion of this congress, the gynecologists recalled that around twenty countries (including Australia, Argentina, Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, ‘Austria, Norway …) have introduced the vaccination of boys in their vaccination schedule. In Australia, with an immunization coverage rate of nearly 80% among girls and 75% among 15-year-old boys, the country is now on track to become one of the first to have eradicated cervical cancer of the uterus.
In France, the vaccination of boys against HPV is one of the 11 measures recommended by the League against cancer in his white paper. The Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn announced yesterday during her greetings to the press that she was “in favor” and that she had seized the High Authority of Health so that it gives its opinion on this subject in 2019.
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