Mandatory Vaccination: A Guide for Parents

The latest Health Barometer¹ conducted in 2016 by Santé publique France surveyed French people on their perceptions and knowledge regarding vaccinations. The results show that 3 out of 4 people say they are in favor of vaccination in general. While support for vaccination has increased since 2010, it has not reached the level of over 90% observed until the late 2000s.

The survey also sheds light on the attitudes of parents of children aged 1 to 15 in the event that mandatory vaccination were lifted. It was found that more than half of them would continue to have their children vaccinated, that nearly a third would “probably” do so, and that nearly 13% would probably or certainly not vaccinate their children.

The positive impact of mandatory vaccination on childhood vaccination coverage

The annually updated vaccination schedule presents the official recommendations for childhood vaccinations. According to vaccination coverage data from 2016, a positive influence of mandatory vaccination is observed on vaccination coverage levels.

High vaccination coverage rates that meet public health targets (at least 95% by 24 months) apply to the following vaccinations:

• mandatory;

• those administered as part of combination vaccines that include both mandatory and recommended components. This is the case for vaccinations against pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b. To a lesser extent, the use of the hexavalent vaccine, which combines mandatory vaccinations with the hepatitis B vaccine, has led to an increase in hepatitis B vaccination coverage;

• recommended and can be administered on the same day as a mandatory vaccination; this is the case for the pneumococcal vaccine, whose coverage is approaching the 95% target.

The lowest vaccination coverage rates are for vaccines administered according to a schedule different from that of mandatory vaccines. This is the case for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has a coverage rate of 90.5% for the ^first dose and 78.8% for the second dose. Similarly, vaccination against meningococcal C achieves a coverage rate of 70.9%.

The decision to expand mandatory vaccination to 11 diseases does not change the vaccination schedule. Nearly 70% of children already receive all the vaccines listed in the vaccination schedule.

95% Target to Better Protect the French Population

Certain insufficient vaccination coverage rates currently prevent the effective protection of the entire unvaccinated population, particularly infants too young to be vaccinated and individuals with medical contraindications to vaccination (primarily immunocompromised individuals). As a result, complications and deaths attributed to vaccine-preventable diseases (measles, meningitis C, pertussis) are regularly observed. These events could easily be prevented through vaccination and a vaccination coverage rate of over 95%.

For more information, visit vaccination-info-service.fr, the leading website on vaccinations