Six learned societies recall the interest of anti-HPV vaccination and specify that it has not led to an increase in autoimmune diseases in the vaccinated.
It is a real battle of experts which is currently being played between doctors around vaccines against the papillomavirus. Six Learned Societies on Thursday launched a counter-petition to support this vaccination intended to prevent certain precancerous lesions of the cervix. With this initiative, these doctors are responding to another petition launched last March by Dr Philippe De Chazournes on the site of the “Med’Ocean” association to demand a parliamentary mission on the advisability of this vaccination (1). Supported by more than 600 doctors, the latter estimated that “the consequences of vaccinating young girls are unknown and that the effectiveness of the Gardasil vaccine remains to be proven. ”
Fear of compromising vaccination
But this time around, it is at the very least “prestigious” medical companies who are clearly taking a position in favor of this vaccination in the Daily doctor’s. Among them, the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics (Afpa), the National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of France (CNGOF), the French Pediatric Society (SFP), the French Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology (SFCPCV) and the French-language Infectious Pathology Society (Spilf). But also Infovac, a group of independent experts in vaccinology.
To express their disapproval of the discredit recently cast on these anti-HPV vaccines, recommended by the French health authorities “in all young girls between 11 and 14 years old”, these signatories write: “A campaign to denigrate the HPV vaccination, without foundation serious scientist, has just given rise to a communication on all the mainstream media. This information, delivered without any real contradictory debate, can compromise the vaccination campaign envisaged in the new Cancer Plan. “
Excellent efficacy on precancerous lesions
Moreover, these organizations reiterate their confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine. They underline “the demonstrated efficacy of this vaccination and the absence of significant major side effects are in favor of a favorable risk / benefit balance for this vaccination, as the recommendations of the national and international agencies in charge of the surveillance. “
And to justify this position, the signatories of the call for counter-petition also put forward several scientific arguments. They thus recall the international studies concerning the two anti-HPV vaccines available, validated by several groups independent of pharmaceutical companies, which have largely confirmed their excellent effectiveness “on the prevention of infection, on persistent infection and now on lesions. precancerous diseases linked to certain papillomaviruses. These data suggest the same efficacy on cervical cancers still linked to this infection. “
No increase in autoimmune diseases in vaccinees
Finally, they indicate that national and international surveillance confirms the excellent vaccine safety of these vaccines. As proof, they put forward the absence of an increase in autoimmune diseases and neurodegenerative diseases in vaccinated populations, compared to the expected number of these same diseases in the absence of vaccination.
For all these reasons, they believe that a referral to the Technical Committee on Vaccinations (CTV) and the High Council of Public Health (HCSP) must be made to respond to a campaign deemed slanderous calling into question their very functioning.
“We also call for the establishment of a parliamentary committee, this time to assess the harmful effect on public health of unscientific messages, carried by some media, some politicians, even a small minority of doctors”, conclude these doctors.
(1) As of April 5, 2014, more than 1,070 signatures including more than 630 doctors and 270 midwives have signed by exposing their names
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