Cécile Badoual, an anatomopathology professor at Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, is alerting on the need to vaccinate children, both boys and girls, against the human papillomavirus (HPV) before they engage in sexual activity. This comes as a study published in “The Lancet” reveals that this virus affects nearly one-third of men over the age of 15.
“It is essential that vaccination is not gendered and focuses on cancer prevention,” emphasized Cécile Badoual, on franceinfo. She is an expert in anatomopathology at Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris and also works with the WHO. This statement was made in response to a study published in “The Lancet” which reveals that HPV affects nearly one-third of men over the age of 15.
franceinfo: Vaccination against HPV was only available for young girls until 2021. Is it important to include boys as well?
Cécile Badoual: It is essential that vaccination is not gendered and focuses on the prevention of cancer and lesions in both girls and boys. When we look at this publication, it confirms what we already know worldwide about HPV carriage and its presence in the genital organs of men.
In general, contamination with HPV occurs when individuals become sexually active. What is important to note is that there is a significant carrier rate of HPV, which can transmit cancers. This includes cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer in women, as well as anal cancer and oropharyngeal cancer (found in the back of the throat, specifically the tonsils) in both women and men.
At what age should vaccination be received?
Vaccination should be administered before encountering HPV, before engaging in sexual activity. That’s why we recommend a two-dose vaccination for young people aged 11 to 14, whether they are girls or boys, or a catch-up vaccination until the age of 16. For men who have sex with men, who are at a slightly higher risk of developing anal cancer, we propose catch-up vaccination until the age of 26.
Should the HPV vaccination be made mandatory?
We need to have a strong understanding of the fact that while there are tools available for detecting the virus in women, there are none for men to detect these cancers. There are protocols in place for detecting anal cancer in patients with HIV, for example, but not for the general population. 80% of oropharyngeal cancer cases are in men.
Is France lagging behind in this field?
In 2021, only 46% of young girls have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The WHO states that receiving at least one dose before sexual activity or within the first year is highly effective. However, we are very behind when it comes to vaccinating boys and young men.
It is therefore crucial to offer vaccination to both young girls and boys since only 6% of eligible boys are vaccinated in France. In other countries, vaccination is offered at schools, and in Australia, it has been extended to an entire age group.
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2023-08-18 14:29:01
