To mark European Immunization Week (EIW), a key event of the year for promoting vaccination, the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Santé publique France aim to encourage vaccination, which remains the most effective means of protection against certain serious infections and of reducing the risk of epidemics.

Today, Santé publique France is releasing data on vaccination uptake in the general population and vaccination coverage for 2022 at the national and regional levels.

Coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Santé publique France at the national level, the SEV is managed regionally by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS). This week aims to raise awareness and inform the public about vaccination recommendations and existing resources, such as the simplified vaccination schedule and the vaccination-info-service.fr websites for the general public and healthcare professionals.

Vaccination uptake among the general population continues to rise in France

Santé publique France has published the latest data on vaccination uptake to guide and develop initiatives aimed at promoting vaccination among the population.

In 2022, 84.6% of respondents in metropolitan France reported being in favor of vaccination in general, a figure up from 2021 (82.5%). This increase, observed since 2019, rises with age, income, and educational level. It was significantly lower among those reporting that they live alone.

Infants, Children, and Adolescents

Among infants born on or after January 1, 2018, for whom the expanded vaccination mandate applies, the increase in vaccination uptake continues with:

• +1 percentage point in vaccination coverage for the second dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 33 months of age between 2019 and 2020;

• +0.3 percentage points for vaccination coverage of the third dose of the hexavalent vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B) at 21 months of age between 2020 and 2021.

Since April 2022, the recommendation to vaccinate all infants against invasive meningococcal disease type B, starting at 2 months of age and before the age of 2 years, has been included in the vaccination schedule. Vaccination coverage for at least one dose against meningococcal B at 8 months was 48.8%.

Among children and adolescents born before the law took effect, an increase of +1.1 to +4.3 percentage points in vaccination coverage was observed between 2021 and 2022 for catch-up vaccination against meningococcal C in all age groups over 4 years of age.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infections

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) infections prevents up to 90% of HPV infections that cause cervical cancer, urogenital cancers (penile cancer), and certain cancers of the head and neck.

In 2022, vaccination coverage against HPV infections was 47.8% for a single dose among 15-year-old girls and 41.5% for the full series among 16-year-old girls. Vaccination rates among young girls have increased, but less so than in previous years in France:

• +4.1 percentage points for second-dose vaccination coverage among 16-year-old girls born in 2006 (41.5%) compared to those born in 2005 (37.4%);

• +2.0 percentage points for first-dose vaccination coverage among 15-year-old girls (+5.2 percentage points between 2020 and 2021).

Among young boys, vaccination against HPV infections has been recommended for the past two years. Vaccination coverage stands at 12.8% for the first dose at age 15, compared to 6% last year.

The President of the Republic recently announced the rollout of a free vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus infections for girls and boys in 7th grade starting in the 2023 school year. The pilot program conducted in the Grand-Est region confirmed the effectiveness of such a program in terms of vaccination acceptance and accessibility.

Flu Vaccination

During the 2022–2023 season, vaccination coverage among people at risk of severe influenza was 51.5%, a slight decrease compared to the previous season (52.6%), but an increase compared to the 2019-2020 season (47.8%), which preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, both nationally and across all regions of metropolitan France. It was 31.6% among at-risk individuals under 65 years of age and 56.2% among those aged 65 and older.

Flu vaccination coverage thus remained insufficient among people with risk factors, falling short of the 75% vaccination target set by the WHO and marked by social health inequalities.