A major effort to vaccinate as many children as possible

All 39 vaccination centers initially planned have been opened, covering every municipality in Mayotte and more than half of its villages. The success of this vaccination campaign required the involvement of numerous local stakeholders:

• the Mayotte Hospital Center and the Departmental Council (PMI) for the organization and logistics of the campaign;

• the municipalities to ensure the smooth running of the campaign (providing facilities, helping to inform residents, recruiting staff to operate the sites, etc.);

• local community leaders and associations (UDAF, etc.) to relay information to families;

• locally recruited translators hired specifically for this operation.

From May 22 to June 30, more than 110 healthcare professionals from the Health Reserve took turns working at temporary vaccination centers across the island, set up to facilitate access for all residents

Highly Engaged Families

The vaccination campaign garnered strong support from families, who turned out in large numbers at the opening of each temporary vaccination center: the vaccination status of 24,408 children under the age of 6 was verified by vaccination teams, and 13,497 children were vaccinated. More than 25,000 vaccines were administered (an average of 2 vaccines per child):

• 8,674 MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines,

• 9,012 hexavalent vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b),

• and 7,448 pneumococcal vaccines.

Each vaccinated child left with an updated vaccination record book containing recommendations for follow-up vaccinations. It is the responsibility of the entities overseeing vaccinations in the department (maternal and child health centers, the Jacaranda Center at the Mayotte Hospital Complex, and private practice) to ensure vaccination follow-up.

This initiative proved necessary because more than one in two children had their vaccinations updated. An evaluation of this vaccination campaign will now be conducted to assess its impact.

In collaboration with healthcare professionals, the ARS OI and the regional branch of Santé publique France in the Indian Ocean continue to monitor vaccine-preventable diseases (pertussis, measles, mumps, etc.).

To mark this campaign, Santé publique France produced the film "Responding to Exceptional Health Situations," which showcases the agency’s response capabilities.

The Health Reserve: Healthcare Professionals Ready to Respond

Led by Santé publique France, the Health Reserve is a government mechanism established under the Public Health Code. It consists of more than 2,000 volunteer healthcare professionals. Mobilized by the Ministry of Health or at the request of a regional health agency, the Health Reserve is called upon to intervene when a public health situation requires human resources support, particularly to bolster healthcare provision but also to help implement preventive measures.

The Pharmaceutical Agency, the government’s strategic stockpile of medicines and health products

Its role is to procure, store, and, when necessary, organize the rapid delivery of the medicines and health products needed to protect the population in the event of a serious health crisis.