[Vaccination of adolescents]

Abstract

In 1999 the WHO alerted on vaccination coverage of adolescents in the world. In France, the vaccination coverage is low in this age. One third of teenagers has received all the recommended vaccines. The situation is particularly worrying for pertussis, measles mumps and rubella vaccines, and for the vaccine against hepatitis B. French coverage is considerably lower than figures published in the USA and Belgium. Vaccine strategies are specific to adolescence with regard to the location of vaccines, the vaccination decision, the vaccinator. The GP is the principal actor in the vaccine. Teenagers have largely favorable opinion about vaccination. The schedule is simple in adolescence. Recent innovations are: introduction of the vaccine HPV (Human Papillomavirus), generalization of the vaccine against meningococcal group C and simplification of the vaccination against hepatitis B. Six recommendations are proposed to improve vaccination of adolescents.