She is 12 years old. She was not yet a woman, but she was no longer a little girl. “Intimate relationships” remain mysterious and far from his concerns. She is also very humble about this topic. Now is the time to protect it first.
This Molinoise, who told us about her feelings, received her HPV shot a few days ago. It was his choice: “In college, we got a paper where they explained it all to us. I’ve talked to my mom and dad about it, who tell me it’s better to protect against vaginal cancers or things like that. So that we do not get diseases and do not transmit them. But hey, I agreed anyway. »
The majority of her class answered yes: “Many of them have already been vaccinated, especially the girls. I don’t know why there are fewer boys, I would say a quarter. We talk about it among the girls, but not so much with the boys. My best friend told me he wants to do So, he thought it was a good idea to take precautions at our age.”
Cancer…and attacks
For now, the Bourbonnais student doesn’t think much about “all that.” [les relations sexuelles, NDLR]“But cancer speaks to me. It’s a deadly disease. Finally, you can die from it, it’s dangerous. I had an aunt who had cancer. Silence.” And then I was a little worried. Let’s imagine, by chance, if I were raped…at least I would be protected from that. »
Oh! It works in the minds of teenagers, who are more aware of life’s dangers than we might be at the same age. The next sentence reassures us a little: “Well, this isn’t our first discussion with friends. It’s more about the right to eat fast food!” Mom and Dad received the message.
“Solidarity” is the big brother and best friend
In this other family in Bannoux, thanks to the MSA, the siblings asked themselves the following question: “We received a letter at the beginning of the year from our Social Security, addressed to our daughter who will be starting fifth grade, explaining that he has been taken care of, what the risks are, etc. “We discussed it and made a doctor’s appointment for her in February,” the mother says. « Her brother, 15, accompanied her: “He said: ‘But I will do it too, I am supportive, and then it could happen to me too.’ »
The second injection was given to both in August. It is good for little sister.
For the older brother, it’s not over yet: “Since it’s another protocol, he got a third injection. It’s a shame we didn’t know about it before. We would have done it before. Adolescence is already well underway. Honestly, I’ve heard about it.” “For girls, but not for boys. We talked to him, of course, about taking precautions to avoid unwanted pregnancy and protect himself and his partner, but we did not go beyond these diseases.”
Vaccination against human papillomavirus infection: key numbers
Two doses by the end of the school year for 30% of students
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is offered free of charge to all fifth grade students, but is not mandatory.
It was up to families to sign a parental release after receiving ample documentation at the beginning of the school year. Then bring their health record or vaccination record.
How many teens are affected?
From Allier, “There are 49 students and 3,468 colleges that are concerned,” including the Agence Regionale de Saint-Rhône-Alpes (ARS) and the direction of the National Academy of Services, which has a large connection with this city. countryside. Among these students are 38 government colleges, with 2,877 students enrolled, according to the Department Council.
The students in question may have already been vaccinated by their family doctor, pediatrician or at a pharmacy. They can also choose not to be vaccinated. The goal: to protect 30% of students, or nearly 1,000 teens, for this year 2023-2024.
What is the schedule?
Two doses are required by the end of the school year, which means the first shot will be administered across the territory before the Christmas holidays: the campaign in Allier will end in advance at the end of November.
Two doses, at least six months apart, are necessary for these young people. Second dose between April and June 2024.
Who does the vaccination?
The vaccination campaign is implemented at the district level by the delegation of the Regional Health Agency and the Academic Department of the National Education Services. In Aler, the operator licensed and funded by ARS is the vaccination center at the Moulin Zur Hospital Centre. He was the one who opened the envelopes collected by the colleges, and he was the one who recorded the parents’ authorizations, recorded the registrations, and gave the institutions the list of students who would be called. Schools welcome mobile teams from the vaccination centre, “composed of qualified hospital-based specialists and reinforced as needed by independent health professionals”, as the anti-vaccination strategy sets out.
Mathilde Duchatel
