Still too many French people do not know if they are up to date with their vaccines. They do not know the recall dates and lose their health record.
The French, dilettantes of vaccination? It is to be feared, in view of the survey carried out by MonDocteur.fr (1). On the occasion of European Immunization Week, which takes place from April 23 to 29, the online meeting site questioned the practices of the population. Many of those interviewed are not up to date with their vaccines. More worrying: they admit not knowing when to make the reminders.
Frequent forgetfulness
One in two French people is up to date in their vaccination record. Women are a little more serious in this area than men. But most worrying is the number of people who admit not knowing whether to recall or not. 34% of patients and 43% of patients ignore it.
Young people are particularly affected by this artistic vagueness. Among the 25-34 year olds, 43% do not know if they are up to date… Barely more can confirm that they are. Seniors – aged 65 and over – are the most informed in this area.
Fuzzy knowledge
the French vaccination schedule is complex, it is a fact. Mandatory and recommended vaccinations, first injection and reminders… there is something to get lost in. Just for the three compulsory vaccines (diphtheria, polio, tetanus), respondents get tangled up in their brushes. A majority do not know what interval reminders are needed. Of those who dare to answer, many cite “every ten years”. Wrongly.
DT-Polio reminders should be done at 25, 45 and 65, then every ten years. In this area, it is the seniors who are the least wrong – with 21% correct answers.
Forgetting is all the easier since most French people have simply lost their health record… and with it all the information on vaccinations. 73% of men and 81% of women have lost this booklet. The more age increases, the more it is.
Real consequences
Medical news sadly reflects these misunderstandings and oversights. Good vaccination coverage makes it possible to protect the population from certain infectious diseases that had been forgotten. But the epidemic outbreaks remind us: not to be vaccinated, it is to run the risk of contracting serious pathologies.
Measles is thus making a striking comeback on European soil. In Romania and Italy, two epidemics are underway. Several thousand people have contracted the infection. A strong resurgence can be observed in other countries, including France. The phenomenon is such that the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended that their nationals be up to date before traveling to Italy, Romania, Belgium and Germany.
Children are particularly affected. In Brittany, a girl died of tuberculosis at the beginning of 2017. Diphtheria also killed several toddlers during 2016. “Getting vaccinated and getting updated is essential,” concludes Thibault Lanthier. , co-founder of the site MonDocteur.fr
>> Consult our “Treatments” sheet: Vaccines, all the more effective if the entire population is vaccinated
(1) Survey carried out by MonDocteur.fr among 1,124 patients representative of the French population, spread across the entire territory, by emailing campaign.
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