Free “generalized“vaccination of teenagers will begin in high schools in France in order to better fight the wart virus that is responsible for more than 6,000 cases of cancer in the country each year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced today.

According to the World Health Organization, these cancers can be eliminated through screening and vaccination.

A universal vaccination”allows many cancers to be avoided” and Pall countries did it” Macron said as vaccination coverage against the wart virus in France is among the lowest in Europe.

The French presidency clarified that vaccination will not be compulsory and that parental consent will be required.

“The question is whether it will become mandatory in the futureMacron said.

The virus that affects a large number of sexually active people causes various infections of the skin and mucous membranes.

Although the wart virus is often benign, the infection can persist and lead to precancerous lesions and then cancer.

At approx 6,000 cases of cancer attributed to such an infection every year in France, the majority involve the cervix, the rest affect the anus, vulva, vagina or penis, oral cavity, tongue, pharynx and palate.

Vaccination is recommended for girls and boys aged 11 to 14 years.

It can also be recommended up to age 19 for those who have not been vaccinated and can be done up to age 26 for men who have sex with men.

When the vaccination is given before the start of sexual life, the protection provided by the vaccine against viruses is close to 100%.

In Australia, thanks to vaccination, the proportion of people infected fell from 22.7% in 2005-2007 to 1.5% in 2015 among young women aged 18 to 24. Projections show eradication of cervical cancer in 15 years.

In France, at the end of 2021, rate 37.4% of the 16-year-old girls had two doses of the vaccine, and the boys 6% had had a dose of the vaccine at the age of 15, according to official data.

In Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Norway, Spain or Britain, the vaccination rate of teenagers exceeds 70%.

Unlike other countries, vaccination in France against the wart virus is based on the decision of the teenager or his parents to make an appointment with a doctor.

According to Sophie Beau, program coordinator of the Public Health organization in France “an action in the context of preventive medicine in schools can allow to increase the vaccination coverage” in the country as has been observed in Australia, Canada, Finland, Norway in Scotland”.