These health professionals will now be able to vaccinate children under 18, except immunocompromised minors in certain cases.
- A live vaccine contains attenuated infectious agents, such as viruses or bacteria.
- In March 2021, midwives were allowed to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to anyone who did not have an allergic reaction.
Vaccination of the youngest is possible with midwives. The announcement was made in a decree of Official newspaper, released Thursday, August 18. Maieuticians can administer vaccines to minors.
A recommendation from the High Health Authority
This decision follows a recommendation from the French National Authority for Health. In January 2022, the body spoke out in favor of expanding the skills for midwives, nurses and pharmacists in terms of vaccination. “HAS recommends allowing nurses, pharmacists and midwives to prescribe and administer the non-live vaccines included in the vaccination schedule for people aged 16 and over, subject to the training of these professionals and the guarantee traceability of the vaccines producedshe said. A factor in improving vaccination coverage in France, this expansion is part of the promotion of a global prevention approachThe objective was to facilitate the vaccination course for patients, and thus improve vaccination coverage.
About twenty vaccines concerned
As of April, midwives had been authorized to prescribe and administer vaccines to pregnant women, newborns and those around them. Vaccines affected included seasonal flu, whooping cough, hepatitis A and B, rabies, etc. From now on, maieuticians can vaccinate children under 18 against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, whooping cough, human papillomaviruses, invasive pneumococcal infections, hepatitis A and hepatitis B virus, meningococci A, B, C, Y and W, rubella, measles, mumps, chickenpox, yellow fever, invasive Haemophilus Influenzae type B infections, rabies and seasonal influenza. They can also administer BCG, against tuberculosis.
An exception
On the other hand, the administration of live vaccines to immunocompromised persons remains the competence of the doctor. Thus, midwives cannot administer the MMR, measles, mumps, rubella vaccine to minors suffering from immunosuppression.
