The free vaccination campaign in colleges against papillomavirus, now combined with that against certain invasive meningococcal infections, will take place from January to June 2026, depending on the regions, the Ministries of Health and Education announced on Wednesday.
The objective is to "continue increasing the vaccination coverage already underway against HPV and to strengthen protection against invasive meningococcal infections (meningitis) ACWY, which have been increasing significantly for several years," explains a joint statement from the ministries and the National Cancer Institute (Inca).
“Safe and effective, these vaccinations are strongly recommended” and can be administered in a single session, they emphasize, adding that, “as with all vaccines,” mild side effects may occur in “the vast majority of cases.” Written consent from both parents is required, as is presentation of the child’s health record on the day of vaccination.
This year, students in grades 5 and 4 can therefore benefit at the same time from vaccination against human papillomavirus (or HPV), with Gardasil 9 and that against invasive meningococcal infections A, C, W, Y. The latter can leave serious after-effects (deafness, mental retardation, amputation of a limb…), or even be fatal, and have been surging in recent years among adolescents.
This first combined campaign, the funding for which is included in the 2025 Social Security budget, is offered in all public colleges and voluntary private colleges under contract, as well as in medico-social establishments welcoming 11-14 year olds with disabilities.
The government's aim is to "reduce inequalities in access to prevention and to sustainably protect the health of young people," said Stéphanie Rist, Minister of Health, Families and Disabled Persons, quoted in the press release.
Since the 2023-2024 school year, 5th grade students can be vaccinated against papillomavirus, subject to parental authorization, in public middle schools and some private establishments.
Although HPV vaccination (also possible for healthcare workers in the city but less well reimbursed in this case by Health Insurance) has generally progressed in recent years, France remains far from its objectives.
Territorial disparities remain, which may be "linked to socioeconomic inequalities", Public Health France pointed out in February, also mentioning "cultural barriers, particularly around sexuality".
Thus, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, "during the 2024/2025 school year, only 9.81% of students were vaccinated against HPV, compared to 10.61% nationally," the Regional Health Agency recently noted.
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