European Immunization Week (EIW) will take place from April 24 to 30. This event is an important opportunity to remind the public that vaccination is a major public health issue. "Against many serious diseases: vaccination is the best protection"—this simple and undeniable fact is at the heart of the campaign launched by Santé publique France in partnership with the Ministry of Solidarity. It will be featured on television, online, and on social media, as well as in the press and at healthcare facilities. European Immunization Week also provides an opportunity to observe the first encouraging results of the 11 mandatory childhood vaccinations. Vaccination coverage among newborns is increasing, as are parents’ positive perceptions of the benefits of vaccines. These new findings can be found in the Public Health bulletin “Vaccination” and the regional bulletins produced by Santé publique France.
national bulletin
Key Points Increase in vaccination uptake among infants born since January 1, 2018, compared to those born in 2017: +5.5 percentage points for the use of the hexavalent vaccine; +1.4 percentage...
Building on previous efforts to promote vaccination, Santé publique France and the Ministry of Solidarity and Health are launching France’s first major vaccination promotion campaign. With a positive and inspiring tone, the theme “The best protection is vaccination” reminds us that vaccination is the most effective and safest means of prevention against many potentially serious infectious diseases such as meningococcal meningitis, measles, whooping cough, and tetanus. The campaign aims to reaffirm the benefits of vaccination in order to build trust. It is aimed at the entire population, particularly parents of young children. It relies on healthcare professionals and will air on television from April 21 to May 11, as well as being available online, on social media, and in the press.
Just over a year after the expansion of mandatory vaccinations, Santé publique France has published data on vaccination coverage and the uptake of vaccination by parents and healthcare professionals. These initial encouraging results can be found in a public health bulletin and its regional editions.
Santé publique France compared vaccination coverage at 7 months of age for infants born between January and May 2018 with that of infants born between January and May 2017, for vaccinations against pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, hepatitis B, pneumococcus, and meningococcus C. Vaccination coverage against these infectious diseases has improved significantly, with:
+36.4 percentage points in vaccination coverage for the first dose of the meningococcal C vaccine. It rose from 39.3% in 2017 to 75.7% in 2018. This improvement likely contributed to the decrease in the incidence of invasive infections caused by this pathogen among infants under one year of age.
+5.5 percentage points in the use of the hexavalent vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b infections). The usage rate rose from 93.1% in 2017 to 98.6% in 2018.
+1.4 percentage points in vaccination coverage for the first dose of the pneumococcal vaccine. It rose from 98.0% in 2017 to 99.4% in 2018.
Coverage for the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine among children who turned 12 months old in 2018 is 87.2%, compared to 85.0% among those who turned 12 months old in 2017 (+2.2 percentage points). The coverage rate for the first dose of the HPV vaccine (recommended) among 15-year-old girls born in 2003 is 29.4%, compared to 26.2% among girls born the previous year (+3.2 percentage points).
Mandatory vaccination is largely accepted by parents of children born in 2017 and 2018, as two-thirds of them (67%) report being in favor of it.
According to surveys conducted in February and March 2019 among 758 general practitioners and 615 pediatricians1, the proportion of these professionals in favor of vaccination in general reaches 99%. The expansion of mandatory vaccinations is viewed positively by 75% of general practitioners and 96% of pediatricians. The latter also reported that this measure had improved their relationship with parents (77%) and reduced parents’ reluctance toward vaccination (69%).
Just over a year after the implementation of mandatory vaccination, young parents’ perceptions and opinions regarding vaccination and its benefits are improving, according to a survey conducted by Santé publique France. The importance of vaccination for children’s health (91%) and for protecting the community (87%) is increasing in parents’ eyes (+5 points compared to June 2018). In the context of mandatory vaccination, three-quarters of parents agree that these measures will help reduce outbreaks (77%). Mandatory vaccination is largely accepted by parents of children born in 2017 and 2018, as two-thirds of them (67%) say they support it.
