If the public authorities have taken the full measure of The resurgence of meningococcal infections located in particular in the Rennes regionthey have not yet published all the texts that would allow biologists to take part in vaccination against this infection.
In a recent press release, the National Union of Biologists (SNMB) is moved. “A decree of August 8, 2023 extended the prescription and administration skills of vaccines to medical biologists (doctors or pharmacists) and nurses working in medical biology laboratories. However, almost 2 years later, the texts allowing the management by health insurance of these acts has still not published and biologists cannot therefore still not vaccinate. A delay all the more surprising since these texts have been adopted for pharmacists who can usefully support this national effort to combat invasive meningococcal infections ”deplores the SNMB.
No rating
Contacted by Univadis.frthe President of SNMB, Jean-Claude Azoulayspecifies that “Biologists are indeed empowered to vaccinate, but the rating of health insurance has still not been published. What is more, we also asked to be able to have vaccines in our fridges, and this possibility was not granted to us. So that, if one of our patients wants to be vaccinated here, he must go get the vaccine at the pharmacy, then come back to the laboratory to be injecting it. As you can see, there are a lot of obstacles to vaccination by biologists. ”
Due to the absence of rating, few biologists, currently, practice vaccination: “If we practiced vaccination without rating, in the event of problems, we would not be covered by our insurance. Some biologists vaccine still, but with great reluctance. The situation is all the more abnormal since pharmacists (for some vaccines), as well as nurses, are not confronted with this problem of absence of quotes and can vaccinate without worry ”continues Jean-Claude Azoulay.
Resurgence
However, the situation is worrying, as the SNMB recalls in its press release: “Public health France alerted to the resurgence of meningitis in 2024 (615 cases declared, a record since 2010), then more recently in January and February 2025, with 95 and 89 cases respectively, a level much higher than what was observed during the same period in the previous years. »» Also, Public health France alerted “On the risk of spatio-temporal grouping of cases (cluster) which can be linked to the circulation of clonal strains”, As was the case with students in Lyon in January 2025 or in Rennes in a family and with students between December 2024 and February 2025. “With more than 4,000 points welcoming patients, our network of medical analysis laboratories in the territories would be a great accelerator of the current vaccination campaign. The delay in the implementation of the decree of August 8, 2023 represents a real loss of chance for patients ”regret the SNMB.
