Visuel illustratif avec la mention "Protégeons-nous, vaccinons-nous"

European Immunization Week

Here you’ll find all the useful information and resources you need to learn more and fully understand vaccination.

Vaccination Information Service

What are vaccines for? How do they work? At what age should children be vaccinated? Vaccination-info-service.fr answers the most frequently asked questions about vaccination. A separate...

Learn more

In this article

What is European Immunization Week?

Launched in 2005 by the World Health Organization (WHO), European Immunization Week (EIW) is a key event for communication and outreach to the public and healthcare professionals to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination. It takes place in nearly 200 countries worldwide. The date is set by the WHO, usually during the last week of April.

The overall goal of EVW is to promote vaccination at all stages of life by reminding the public that vaccination is the best protection against many infectious diseases that can be serious, and that it is important to check one’s vaccination status and get vaccinated if necessary. This week also aims to raise awareness and inform the public about vaccination recommendations and available resources.

Santé publique France supports this effort to promote vaccination by making numerous tools available each year, such as the simplified vaccination schedule and various brochures that help explain the benefits of vaccination.

The SEV is a public health initiative. The use of the Santé publique France logo or image is subject to prior written authorization from Santé publique France. Under no circumstances may this initiative be associated with a commercial venture.

How is European Immunization Week organized in France?

In France, EWV is coordinated at the national level by the Ministry of Health and Santé publique France, and managed at the regional level by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS).

EWV is organized annually throughout the country, thanks to the involvement of healthcare professionals and numerous organizations: vaccination centers, maternal and child health centers, healthcare facilities, health insurance agencies, mutual insurance companies, regional and local governments, other government departments (National Education and Youth, Labor, Sports, etc.), associations, and more. These numerous partners involved in organizing this event serve as essential liaisons for the ARS.

What are the dates and theme for this year's SEV?

In 2025, SEV will take place from April 27 to May 3.

Vaccination is a major priority for protecting public health, particularly among the most vulnerable populations. As the immune system weakens with age, the risk of developing certain serious complications increases. Vaccination is essential for reducing the risk of hospitalization and death among the most vulnerable individuals. This year, the national theme of Senior Vaccination Week is therefore “Vaccinating Seniors.”

What are the latest updates on vaccination released around the time of SEV?

Data on vaccination uptake and coverage in the general population

Santé publique France publishes, during Vaccination Awareness Week, updated data on vaccination uptake in the general population and vaccination coverage at the national and regional levels. These indicators are also available on our Geodes mapping tool, which will be replaced by Odissé in 2025.

The Vaccination Schedule

An updated version of the vaccination schedule is published annually during National Immunization Week by the Directorate General of Health.

2025 Vaccination Schedule: What’s New?

Vaccination against invasive meningococcal infections

For infants, ACWY and B vaccination has been mandatory since January 1, 2025. This new requirement applies to all infants up to age 2 (24 months), including those who have already been vaccinated against meningococcal C.

Vaccination against meningococcal B involves a first dose at 3 months of age, a second dose at 5 months, and a booster dose at 12 months. Vaccination against meningococcal ACWY follows a two-dose schedule: one dose at 6 months of age followed by a booster dose at 12 months. Vaccination against meningococcal ACWY is also recommended for all adolescents between 11 and 14 years of age, regardless of their prior vaccination history. A temporary catch-up campaign for children up to age 4 (5th birthday) for vaccinations against meningococcal B and ACWY.

As part of the catch-up vaccination program, vaccinations against meningococcal ACWY and B are also recommended for individuals aged 15 to 24 years.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Vaccination

To protect newborns and infants under 6 months of age, RSV vaccination is recommended for pregnant women, with one dose administered between the 32nd and 36th week of gestation, prior to the RSV epidemic season and through the end of that season.

Vaccination recommendation for all individuals aged 75 and older and for those aged 65 and older with chronic heart or respiratory conditions.

Vaccination against shingles

Vaccination recommendation now extended to all individuals aged 65 and older, with no upper age limit.

Vaccination against pneumococcal infections

Expansion of the vaccination recommendation to all individuals aged 65 and older, with or without risk factors.

Vaccination against Pertussis

Against the backdrop of a marked resurgence of pertussis in France since the beginning of 2024, with a particularly high number of deaths among newborns and infants, the recommendations issued by the HAS in July 2024 remain in effect in 2025:

  • A booster dose is recommended for adults over 25 years of age in close contact with the newborn if the mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy, or if she gave birth less than one month after vaccination: they will receive a booster dose of the dTcaPolio vaccine if their last pertussis vaccination was 5 years or more ago.

  • Pertussis vaccination is recommended for healthcare professionals whose last vaccination was more than 5 years ago in the event of a public health emergency (epidemic conditions and a risk of large gatherings that could lead to widespread circulation of pertussis).

Vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella

A catch-up vaccination is recommended for people born after 1980 who have received no doses or only one dose of the trivalent MMR vaccine. People born since 1980 who received their first dose of the measles vaccine before the age of 12 months should receive a third dose of the trivalent vaccine.

Mpox Vaccination

As part of the reactive vaccination campaign implemented since 2022, and in the context of a public health alert, the national Mpox vaccination strategy was updated in August 2024 and will remain in effect throughout 2025:

  • a reactive vaccination strategy targeting identified cases of Mpox infection among at-risk contacts and among immunocompromised individuals who have close contact with an at-risk contact;

  • a preventive, pre-exposure vaccination campaign for individuals at high risk of exposure.

Dengue Vaccination

Vaccination against dengue using the Qdenga vaccine is recommended in the French West Indies, French Guiana, Mayotte, and Réunion:

  • for children and adolescents aged 6 to 16 years residing in these territories with a documented history of dengue;

  • for people aged 17 to 60 with comorbidities (sickle cell disease, complicated hypertension, diabetes, obesity, renal failure, chronic cardiopulmonary conditions, other hemoglobinopathies, thrombocytopathies), with or without a history of dengue, residing in these territories, due to the risk of these comorbidities being exacerbated by dengue.

Chikungunya Vaccination

In response to the Chikungunya epidemic in Réunion, a vaccination campaign was launched in April 2025. In accordance with HAS recommendations, it is recommended to vaccinate adults aged 18 to 64 with comorbidities as well as vector control workers.

How can I find out more about vaccination?

To inform and promote vaccination among the public and healthcare professionals, Santé publique France provides a variety of resources. These resources are updated during Vaccination Awareness Week, following the annual release of the new vaccination schedule.

Other resources may also be developed and made available throughout the year depending on vaccination-related news or changes in the incidence of certain diseases (e.g., an increase in the number of measles cases in Europe).

Learn about vaccinations through the Vaccination Info-Service websites

With over 30 million visits since its launch in 2017, vaccination-info-service.fr is the go-to website for vaccination information. Regularly updated and expanded, it provides factual, practical, and scientifically validated information to answer a variety of questions: searching for information by profile, about a specific disease, about vaccination in general, or about a specific vaccine. It consists of two sections:

  • a section for the general public containing all the important information regarding vaccine-preventable diseases and their vaccines. It also includes a module encouraging people to check their vaccination status;

  • a section for healthcare professionals with more comprehensive and in-depth content covering all aspects of vaccination. This section also includes a module allowing healthcare professionals to review their patients’ vaccination status.

Available tools

The “Guidelines for Your Practice” collection: includes concise fact sheets designed for healthcare professionals. These provide an overview of specific vaccination recommendations (mandatory vaccinations for infants, measles, rotavirus, meningococcal B, etc.).

Santé publique France offers a wide range of resources to inform the general public, available for download or by request:

See also:

In an effort to reduce social inequalities in health, Santé publique France produces simpler, more educational materials to make information on vaccination accessible to everyone. These resources are available for download and can be ordered.

  • The brochure and poster “Vaccines for All Ages,” which present the updated vaccination schedule in the form of a timeline. The brochure is available in five languages (Arabic, English, Turkish, Russian, and Spanish).

  • The brochure “Understanding Vaccination,” which provides extensive information to help people fully understand vaccination through short, simple texts and illustrations.

Videos designed specifically for these audiences are also available to healthcare professionals to assist them in conveying information, as well as videos in French Sign Language (LSF) covering all vaccinations.

The ARS are deeply committed to promoting vaccination, particularly during National Immunization Week, and also produce numerous educational resources on the subject.

Vaccination

Vaccination

thematic dossier

Contagious diseases most often affect children at a very young age. Because children are particularly vulnerable, they are a priority target for vaccination programs.

Learn more