European Immunization Week
Here you’ll find all the useful information and resources available to help you learn more and understand everything about 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...
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 needed. 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 held 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 2026, SEV will take place from April 27 to May 3.
This year, the national theme will be “vaccination of adolescents and young adults.” This population, aged 11 to 25, is often overlooked in prevention campaigns, yet it is essential for breaking the chains of transmission. With vaccination coverage still insufficient against infections such as HPV, meningitis, measles, and whooping cough, this age group represents a major lever for protecting the entire population, particularly the most vulnerable. The health crisis has also revealed significant delays in vaccination schedules, making it essential for healthcare professionals to remain vigilant about catch-up vaccinations.
What new information on vaccination has been published 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 open-data portal, Odissé.
National
2024 Edition
- National Bulletin
- Press Release
- Publication of the 2024 Vaccination Schedule and Update on Encouraging Results of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination
2023 Edition
2022 Edition
2021 Edition
2020 Edition
2019 Edition
Regional
The Vaccination Schedule
An updated version of the vaccination schedule is published annually during National Immunization Week by the Directorate General for Health.
2026 Vaccination Schedule: What’s New?
Vaccination against human papillomavirus infections
The catch-up vaccination program against HPV using the Gardasil 9 vaccine has been expanded to include young men and women who were not vaccinated during adolescence, up to the age of 26.
Vaccination against pneumococcal infections
Vaccination against pneumococcal infections is being expanded to include all individuals aged 65 and older, using a single-dose regimen of Prevenar 20 or Capvaxive. For at-risk adults aged 18 and older, vaccination is administered with Prevenar 20 or Capvaxive.
Vaccination against invasive meningococcal ACWY and B infections
For all children born after January 1, 2023, vaccinations against meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B are mandatory.
A catch-up vaccination against meningococcal ACWY and B is temporarily recommended for young children aged 2 to 4 years (up to their 5th birthday), including those who have already been vaccinated against meningococcal C.
Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
It is recommended that individuals aged 65 and older be vaccinated, preferably with the Efluelda (high-dose vaccine) and Fluad (adjuvanted vaccine). Standard-dose vaccines may also be used in this population.
The inclusion of Flucelvax in the current seasonal influenza vaccination strategy is possible for children aged at least 6 months, specifically children aged 6 to 23 months with risk factors for severe influenza.
COVID-19 Vaccination
The Nuvaxovid vaccine may be used, on the same basis as mRNA vaccines, provided it offers the same level of adaptation to the most recent circulating strains, to prevent COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in individuals aged 12 years and older who are at risk of severe disease, regardless of their vaccination status. Pending further data, it is recommended to use mRNA vaccines for the vaccination of pregnant women.
Vaccination for people living with HIV
Vaccination recommendations have been issued for people living with HIV (pregnant women, infants, adults).
Regulatory Updates
The 2026 Social Security Financing Act establishes a mandatory measles immunization requirement for professionals and students in the health and medical-social sectors, as well as for early childhood professionals, upon entering training or taking up their positions.
The list of affected professionals, as well as the implementation procedures, will be specified in 2026 through regulatory measures.
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 40 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 fact sheets 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:
- The informational brochures titled “5 Good Reasons to Get Vaccinated” answer key questions the general public may have about most vaccines on the immunization schedule: rotavirus, pertussis for pregnant women, pertussis for adults, hepatitis B for adults, HPV, pneumococcal vaccine for infants, meningococcal B, meningococcal for 11–14-year-olds, meningococcal for 15–24-year-olds (also available in English), and measles.
- The vaccination schedule postcard and poster, updated annually, allow everyone to identify the recommended vaccinations as well as the recommended vaccination schedule based on their age and/or situation. The postcard is translated into five languages (Arabic, English, Chinese, Turkish, and Spanish). The translated postcards are available for download only.
- The postcard for people aged 65 and older.
- The postcard for pregnant women.
- The postcard detailing specific vaccination guidelines for children in the French overseas departments and regions (DROM).
- The adolescent-adult vaccination record is useful for tracking your vaccinations.
- The brochure “Understanding Vaccination” provides simple answers to key questions about vaccination and offers an overview of vaccine-preventable diseases.
- A vaccination information and service bookmark.
- Posters help communicate information on various topics related to vaccination (vaccination in general, measles, etc.).
- A poster to help identify locations where you can get vaccinated.
- Educational videos and expert videos are also available on the vaccination-info-service.fr website to inform the general public.
See also:
- complete vaccination schedule (website of the Ministry of Health).
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 by request.
- 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 two languages (Arabic, English).
- 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.
- See all available resources in the public-access section
The Regional Health Agencies (ARS) are strongly committed to promoting vaccination, particularly during National Immunization Week, and also produce numerous educational resources on the subject.
- VacciNews Project (ARS Pays de la Loire / CRATB Pays de la Loire - VacciNews YouTube videos)
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.
