The government, which wants to be reassuring, cuts short the controversy concerning the Infanrix hexa vaccine.
The petition launched by Professor Henri Joyeux collected more than 500,000 signatures in one week. Addressed to the Minister of Health, it aims to protest against the de facto monopoly of the Infanrix hexa vaccine. In question, the fact that this combined vaccine adds to the compulsory vaccination Diphtheria-Tetanus-Poliomyelitis (DT-Polio vaccine) an optional vaccination against three other diseases. The DT-Polio vaccine ceased to be produced in 2008, now offering parents combined vaccines with wider coverage: tetravalent (Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio-Pertussis), pentavalent (Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio-Pertussis-Hib), or hexavalent (Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio-Pertussis-Hib-Hepatitis) such as Infanrix hexa.
Minister’s firm position
In response to the controversy, the Minister of Health spoke on the subject, unsurprisingly condemning Professor Joyeux’s remarks. The Minister does not compromise on the need for vaccination: “Vaccination is not open to discussion,” she declared on Francetv info. There should be no doubts about vaccines, which does not exclude transparency and research to always improve the quality of our vaccines. “
Subject to controversy
From its launch, Professor Joyeux’s petition had created controversy. His communications were strongly criticized, Le Figaro speaking in particular of “disinformation campaign”, the Rue 89 site publishing for its part an article entitled “DT-Polio vaccine: why we should not sign the petition of Professor Joyeux”, from the scientific blog Measles Epidemiology. Recall that the National Medicines Safety Agency (Ansm) has set up, since May, a alternative solution hexavalent vaccine. The doctor can then order, from the Sanofi Pasteur MSD laboratory, a combined DT-Vax + Imovax Polio kit provided free of charge, which allows parents who wish to ensure compulsory vaccination coverage (DT-Polio) without vaccinating against additional diseases. . The firm speech of Marisol Touraine aims to calm the debate on the question of vaccination, in a French context that we know to be historically sensitive. Professor Joyeux is not at his first outbursts on the subject of vaccination: for example, he had already mobilized in 2014 against the mass vaccination of children against the papillomavirus (HPV).
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