This is an opportunity to reiterate that vaccination remains the most effective means of protection against certain serious infections and, as such, is a key factor in safeguarding public health. To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Health is publishing the new 2022 vaccination schedule, and Santé publique France is releasing data on vaccination coverage at the national and regional levels in its Public Health Bulletin (BSP). For any questions regarding vaccination, the website Vaccination-info-service.fr provides factual, practical, and scientific information on vaccination at different stages of life.

Vaccination coverage against meningococcal C on the rise

• Vaccination coverage for the first dose of the meningococcal C vaccine increased by 3.8 percentage points compared to 2020, and coverage for the booster dose increased by 3.7 percentage points.

• Catch-up vaccination against meningococcal C increased across all age groups over 2 years old, by +2.0 to +5.4 percentage points depending on the age group, compared to 2020, among children and adolescents born before the law took effect on January 1, 2018.

In addition, a very slight increase is observed in the following vaccination coverage rates, which are above 90%:

• +0.6 percentage points for vaccination coverage of the third dose of the hexavalent vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B) compared to 2020, following a +6.4 percentage point increase in previous years (between the 2017 and 2019 cohorts).

• +0.1 percentage points for vaccination coverage of the third dose of the pneumococcal vaccine compared to 2020, following a +1.7 percentage point increase in previous years (between the 2017 and 2019 cohorts).

Continued increase in HPV vaccination coverage among young girls and initial data for boys

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections has been recommended since 2007 for girls aged 11 to 14 (catch-up vaccination possible up to age 19). Santé publique France continues to observe an increase in vaccination coverage among adolescent girls, with a 5.2-point increase between 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, for the first dose, vaccination coverage among 15-year-old girls (born in 2006) was 45%, compared to 40% in 2020 among 15-year-old girls (born in 2005). There is therefore still room for improvement.

Since January 1, 2021, vaccination against HPV infections has also been recommended for boys aged 11 to 14 (catch-up vaccination is possible up to age 19). Santé publique France is publishing vaccination coverage data for the first time: 6% of 15-year-old boys had received one dose of the HPV vaccine as of December 31, 2021.

Flu vaccination coverage remains insufficient but has improved compared to campaigns prior to the COVID-19 pandemic

The flu causes several thousand deaths each year, the vast majority of which occur among the most vulnerable individuals. Vaccination remains the most effective preventive measure. On average, it reduces the risk of death among vaccinated older adults by about one-third.

Among all individuals at risk of severe influenza, vaccination coverage was 52.6% during the 2021–2022 season (47.8% for the 2019–2020 season and 55.8% during the 2020–2021 season), while the WHO target is 75%.

Vaccination coverage was 34.3% among at-risk individuals under 65 years of age and 56.8% among those aged 65 and older. Vaccination coverage decreased compared to the previous season in both age groups but increased compared to the 2019-2020 season (+3.3 percentage points and +4.8 percentage points).