reportage
France: monkeypox vaccination increases, but too slowly
Audio 01:17
A woman waits for a dose of monkeypox vaccine at the Edison municipal vaccination center in Paris on July 27, 2022. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In France, the government wants to speed up the vaccination campaign against monkey pox.
After numerous requests from associations fighting against AIDS, a new vaccination center has been open since Tuesday, July 26 in Paris.
It is supposed to allow the target audience to get an appointment, but many people complain about the waiting times of sometimes several months.
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In front of the Edison health center in Paris, where a hundred injections are administered each day, a poster is stuck on the front door: "
Vaccination - monkeypox only by appointment
".
You have to go through an application, notes our journalist,
Stéphane Duguet
.
Eyes riveted on his phone, Sylvain is annoyed: “
You come across the Edison center, we offer you appointments with gynecologists, dermatologists, whatever you want, but not vaccination.
We have to let you in so that someone inside explains the Internet path to you, so it's extremely complicated and I'm not happy at all
.
»
Reliefs
Julien leaves with his vaccination certificate.
After a month of research, he got an appointment “thanks
to Twitter, and people who relayed it on the networks, and this new center has just opened so it's perfect.
»
Are we not here sweating in 40 degrees scrolling our Twitter filled with videos of fires between two updates of Doctolib to find a vaccination slot against monkeypox?
— jb ✌🏼✌🏼 (@misterjbl) July 18, 2022
Inside the center, the doses are linked after an interview with a doctor.
Between two shots, this intern takes a break: “
For the moment we are not lacking in medical and paramedical presence, so we are volunteer doctors and nurses, we have all the staff to vaccinate.
Personally, I had already had the Covid-19 vaccination last summer so I wanted to start over, it allows for sexual prevention, which is also an interesting area.
»
Once the injection is finished, Pierre is relieved.
Because of the monkeypox, he no longer had sex: “
I'll still be calm for a fortnight and then after that I'll be able to find the use of fun again, it's back to life.
»
Lack of slots
Men and transgender people who have sex with multiple partners are affected by this campaign, as are sex workers.
But while France accounts for 10% of global contamination (more than 1,700 cases), the opening of this center is not enough.
As proof, after four hours of waiting in case an appointment becomes available, Hans ended up leaving: “
I tried but there was no possibility of making the appointment.
If anything happens, they'll call me.
»
Until August 8, all slots at this center are full.
►
To read also:
France: the executive is looking for arms to vaccinate against monkey pox
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Health and medicine
monkey pox
France