The vaccine is currently recommended but not compulsory in France for children aged between 11 and 14. It is also offered to anyone up to the age of 19 as a “catch-up” vaccine, and for men who have sex with men up to the age of 26.

But from September schools will start organising vaccination drives for pupils in cinquième (12 and 13 year-olds) in an attempt to boost take-up, although the vaccine will not be compulsory.

A pilot project of school vaccination campaigns in the Grand Est region showed a boost in take-up, said the Elysée.

From September nurses, pharmacists and midwives will also be able to give the injection, to avoid teenagers having to visit a doctor. 

Santé publique France has said that HPV causes more than 6,000 new cancer cases in France each year. The campaign is intended to raise awareness of the vaccine, the risks of HPV, and cut the number of new cancer cases linked to the virus.

France currently lags behind other European nations on HPV vaccine coverage among teenagers – which was at 50 percent in 20 European countries in 2020. In Denmark, coverage is 85 percent.

In France, a year later, less than 46 percent of girls and just seven percent of boys had been vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15.

The good news is that 80 to 90 percent of the general population have been in contact with the virus at some point in their lives, but their natural immunity fights it off. The vaccine, however, is considered to be highly effective. In countries where take-up rates are high, cases of HPV-linked cancers are falling.

The Haute autorité de santé (HAS) has welcomed Macron’s announcement, having first campaigned for the vaccine to be rolled out among boys aged 11 to 14 in 2019.

“The school environment is a favourable environment for vaccination,” Professor Elisabeth Bouvet, president of the Technical Commission for Vaccinations at the HAS told franceinfo.

“The majority of HPV-related cancers are cervical cancers, but there are also rectal cancers among men, especially those who have sex with men. Many tonsil and throat cancers are HPV-related and occur more frequently in men than women,” Prof Bouvet explained.