Since January 1, 2018, the number of compulsory vaccinations for babies aged under two increased from three to eleven (diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type B meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis, pneumonia and sepsis, and meningitis and sepsis due to meningococcus C). Was this measure effective? The Ministry of Health and Solidarity has just published first year review of this extension of the vaccination obligation. This shows an increase in vaccination coverage for all vaccines for children born in 2018 compared to those born in 2017.
“Immunization coverage for boosters and vaccinations in the second year of life has not yet reached the 95% target. But the maximum age of children (17 months) at the time of the estimation of vaccination coverage can explain this result” underlines the ministry, which expects an improvement in coverage as these children grow up and enter the community.
Focus on vaccination coverage
About 1.5 million children under the age of 2 are affected by compulsory vaccination each year according to the ANSM. According to this report:
- The hepatitis B vaccination for the first dose increased from 90.5 to 96.3% and for the third dose from 83.1 to 89.4%.
- The vaccination against pneumococcus for the first dose increased from 98.1 to 99.5% and for the third dose from 88.3 to 90.1%.
- The vaccination against meningococcal C for the first dose increased from 35.5 to 75.8% and for the second dose at 12 months from 72.5 to 76.8%.
- The vaccination against measles, for the first dose increased from 86.2 to 87.6%.
Adverse effects in 203 infants
The report also lists all the declarations of adverse events or effects notified to the national network of Regional Pharmacovigilance Centers (CRPV) from 2012 to 2017, i.e. before the extension of the vaccination obligation, but also during the first year of implementation (2018).
- A total of 203 infants vaccinated in 2018, aged between 0 and 23 months, were notified for having experienced one or more adverse effects or events.
- Among the notifications, 150 notifications (74%) were made by health professionals while the remaining 53 (26%) came from the infant’s entourage.
- In 2018, among the 203 notifications, 122 of them were qualified as “non-serious” cases and 81 as “serious” cases, mainly general disorders, mainly fever, nervous system disorders mainly febrile convulsions and episodes of hypotonia and skin disorders, mainly rashes.
Read also :
- Coronavirus vaccine: 8 questions to understand
- Getting vaccinated against the coronavirus: a quarter of French people say no
- Is the flu vaccine (really) safe?